The Truth Hurts More
by Light-Eco-Sage
Summary: Son Gohan has a lot of things on his plate, like trying to decide if he could reveal the truth about the Cell games, and fighting certain Saiyan instincts that urge him to mate with the daugter of the man who stole his credit. GhVd, GkCC, VgB .
1. The Beginning

**The Truth Hurts More**

**By: Light-Eco-Sage**

**Rated M: Violence, language, and romance/sexuality. (GhVd, Gucci, VgB)**

**Summary: Sometimes the truth hurts more than lies. Gohan wonders if he should expose the truth of the Cell Games to the world, and all the while, coping with the throes of a budding relationship with the daughter of the man who stole his credit. Post Buu.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the worlds of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT. All settings and characters are owned by Akira Toriyama. I make no money from fanfiction. (Though it would be nice if I did, LOL!)**

**LES: This was written mainly because I HATE the fact that Satan somehow managed to get away with claiming that he defeated Cell the entire series. I just don't like the man that much. Sure, I'll freely admit that he ****did**** help Goku defeat EVIL Majin Buu. But in the end, Goku was the one who defeated him, and Gohan was the one who defeated Cell. I don't really know where this is going or how long it will be, but we'll see. First ever DBZ fic!**

**Chapter I: The Beginning**

(Miles out from the Son residence)

It was a beautiful, quiet day in the mountains. In fact, it was hard to believe that only a few weeks ago, the entire population had been whittled down to a single individual and the Earth had been completely destroyed.

Gohan could hardly believe it, and he had grown up with the knowledge of Dragon Balls, magic, Ki, and powers beyond normal human understanding.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Gohan! Slow down!" He pulled himself out of his thoughts and glanced back at the human girl trying desperately to keep up with him. He was currently trying to teach Videl the endurance to fly at high speed for a long amount of time, but so far, she could only manage a couple of miles. Her arms were up, shielding her face and eyes against the strong wind. "The wind hurts my eyes!"

"That's the point!" He called back, but never-the-less, he stopped dead in his tracks to hover in mid-air.

Videl, who was nearly blinded, and not expecting Gohan's sudden stop, nearly crashed into him. Or she would have if the demi-Saiyan were not prepared for it.

Instead of crashing into the young man, he caught her, much to Videl's surprise. "Whoa!" Gohan laughed. "See, that's the point. You have to learn to keep your eyes open when you fly or you'll fly into a cliff. Believe me, it hurts."

"And when have you ever flown into a cliff?" Videl asked, curious.

Gohan blushed red. "Uh… I was just learning how to fly. I wasn't perfect at controlling my Ki. I lost control and flew straight into a cliff."

Videl laughed at the thought. So Gohan, her great flying sensei, had once flown into a cliff? She had to admit it: the idea was pretty funny.

Gohan frowned when she started laughing at him. _There go those Saiyan instincts again._ Gohan thought. Any Saiyan hated to be mocked. Even Goku, his eternally laid-back father, had a limit when it came to mockery. "Oh, sure. Laugh. I'll have you know that I was four years old when I did it."

Videl glared at him, not quite used to his sudden and swift personality changes. But, instead of telling him off for his rudeness, she spoke. "You can put me down now, Tarzan."

Gohan realized with a jolt that he had been holding her the whole time. He instantly released her, and she moved a slight distance away from him.

"Um… let's take a break." Gohan suggested to kill the awkward silence. Videl nodded in agreement and they descended towards the ground together. When they landed, Gohan glanced around. "Hmm… this isn't too far from Father's old training spot. We're probably about seven miles away from home."

"Gohan… I've been meaning to ask you…" Videl began.

"Yes?"

"Those beams of light that you and your friends can produce… are they real?" Videl asked.

"Of course they're real." Gohan said. "Our Ki blasts are made out of the same energy that we use to fly… just in a different, more destructive form."

"It's just… my father…" Videl began.

Gohan resisted the urge to growl. He knew all about Videl's father: Mr. Satan, the current World Martial Arts Champion. If that man had a power level to match his ego, he would easily be the most powerful being in the universe. But he wasn't. He was great at Martial Arts. (You can't become the World Champion without being good at it.) But his lack of understanding Ki would always ensure that he would never reach his full potential as a Martial Artist. His own daughter was much stronger than him now, simply because she had mastered herself and her internal power.

"I know what your father thinks about our fighting style." Gohan said. "But what about you? You know now that flying isn't a trick or illusion. There is no trick here. Humans can learn how to do this stuff… it just comes naturally to Saiyans."

Videl sat down on the grass, gazing up at her companion. "Could you tell me more about the Saiyans?"

"Huh? The Saiyans?" Gohan repeated.

"Yes. I want to… learn more about you…" She trailed off, blushing.

"Oh… well… um… if you want to study a Saiyan, study Vegeta for a while." Gohan suggested.

"But isn't your father a Saiyan too?"

"My Father grew up here on Earth." Gohan said. "He has Saiyan instincts and a Saiyan's love for war and battle, but he doesn't have Saiyan arrogance."

"Still, I'd like to know." Videl said.

"Very well… Saiyans…" Gohan paused, sitting down next to her. "Well, Saiyans are an alien race from the planet of Vegeta, which was destroyed about thirty years ago when my father was sent to Earth. Almost every Saiyan, including my Saiyan grandfather, died in the explosion. At the time, it was thought that only four survived, and two are still alive, as far as we know. My father and Vegeta."

"How terrible." Videl said.

"Well, most of the universe won't agree with you. The Saiyans were a brutal and warmongering race. Saiyans were like planet mercenary-pirates. They were hired by other alien races to conquer planets for them. They did this three ways: a low-level planet would just get delivered a single Saiyan baby. That's how my Father ended up on Earth. A mid-level planet would be conquered the normal way, through invasion. And for a high-level planet, they would wait for the full moon."

"Why? What happens on the full moon?" Videl asked.

"Any Saiyan that still has his tail…"

"Wait a second… A tail?!? You have a tail?" Videl gasped.

"Not now." Gohan said. "But I was born with a tail. It grows back every so often. But I can never tell when. Sometimes it takes months to grow back, and sometimes years. Vegeta hasn't had his tail grow back in years, as far as I know. Goten and Trunks were born without tails. And my Father had his removed by Earth's Guardian when he was fifteen. That way it will never grow back."

"Why did your dad have it removed?" Videl asked.

"A Saiyan's tail is both his strength and his weakness." Gohan explained. "As I was saying… when a Saiyan with a tail looks at the full moon, they turn into giant unstoppable ape monsters. A Saiyan is nearly indestructible in this form. Bulma once let it slip to me that the first time she saw my Father transform, he took a missile to the face, and it only stunned him for a few minutes."

"Oh wow!"

"But a tail is also a weakness. Our tails are extremely sensitive to touch, so any enemy of a Saiyan has quickly learned that the quickest way to bring a Saiyan down is to grab his tail. When someone squeezes our tails, it causes a terrible paralyzing pain to shoot through our bodies. We can't move, can't breathe, and can't think. I've seen many Saiyans brought to their knees that way."

"Wow. Saiyans sounded like a powerful race." Videl commented.

"And they kept getting stronger." Gohan said. "Have you ever heard the saying 'Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger'?"

"Yes."

"That is literally true for Saiyans." Gohan said. "Every time we survive a battle, we grow stronger. We also learn attacks very quickly in the heat of battle. Have you ever heard of the Kamehameha Wave?"

"Yes. It's a Martial Arts legend. It is the hardest blow to master. I heard that it took Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, fifty years to develop it."

"My father did it the first time when he was twelve years old, after seeing it only one time." Gohan said. "I was a little slow at learning it. It took me about two weeks."

"Wow!" Videl gasped. "You and your father really know how to do the legendary Kamehameha Wave?" Gohan nodded. "Ok, then I have another question. How do you make your hair turn blonde?"

"That actually has to do with a Saiyan legend. Vegeta knows it better than anyone. Apparently, thousands of years ago, a Saiyan Warrior was born with powers far greater than his fellows. He had so much power that he could only unleash it all when he was transformed. His power was so great that it ended up destroying him. He was called a Super Saiyan." Gohan explained. "My Father became the first new Super Saiyan. Boy, that pissed Vegeta off!"

"Why?" Videl asked. "Saiyan arrogance?"

"More like Royal arrogance." Gohan said. "Vegeta is actually the Saiyan Prince. I guess he grew up believing that becoming a Super Saiyan was his birthright. When Father became a Super Saiyan, it came naturally. But Vegeta had to work himself half-to-death for a year before he could… the same for me. Goten's like Father. He became a Super Saiyan so effortlessly. _And_ he did it when he was only six. I was the youngest Super Saiyan ever when I first did it at eleven. Now Goten and Trunks can do it. I remember when Vegeta found out that Goten and Trunks were Super Saiyans. He started talking about a 'Super Saiyan Bargain Bin'."

"Can I see again?" Videl asked.

"It's… complicated." Gohan said. "See, it's dangerous for me to become a Super Saiyan carelessly."

"Why?"

"Because I am particularly power." Gohan explained. "People have been in awe of my power since I was a newborn. Normally, I was a regular kid. But when I was upset, angry, or backed into a corner, I became capable of unleashing an unstoppable force, a power that lay dormant inside me. While I was gone during the Majin Buu incident, I was undergoing a ritual to unlock my hidden powers."

"So… what? You have the power to accidentally destroy yourself like that first Super Saiyan?"

"Me? Unlikely. But I could probably destroy the Solar System." Gohan said lightly. He missed the look of horror on Videl's face. Mainly to the fact that at that moment, he was attacked by a certain six-year old demi-Saiyan.

Gohan's little brother, Goten, flew straight into the older demi-Saiyan's chest and knocked him flat on his back. It took Gohan a split second to realize that he wasn't under attack, at least not from an actual threat instead of his kid brother who practically hero-worshipped him.

While Videl screamed in shock, Gohan had all ready recognized what was going on. "Goten, what are you doing?"

He had left the boy home earlier that morning with his parents. He had done this mainly for his Father's sake. Goku had died over seven years ago when Gohan was eleven and Goten barely conceived, so Goku never had a chance to know his son and Goten never knew his father. Now that Goku was alive again, thanks to the life of the Old Supreme Kai, he and Goten were now given the chance to get to know each other.

Goten sat on Gohan's chest, giving his older brother the classic 'Son grin' which made him look like his father in miniature. "Mommy told me to find you. She said that she's too busy to train me today. She said you would."

Gohan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It seemed that as much as Goku wanted to connect with his youngest son, he wanted to reconnect with his wife more.

It was really hard to hide a sexual relationship from a Saiyan or demi-Saiyan child. Gohan's nose and ears, while not as sharp as his father's, were still many times stronger than a human's sense. And Saiyan pheromones practically screamed to be noticed because they were so strong. He had known of the true nature of his parent's relationship since he was a child, when most human children were still swallowing the stork story. Sending Goten out of the house probably meant that they were feeling adventurous and unable to keep it sorely in their room.

"Umm… I was just telling Videl about Super Saiyans." Gohan said. "Why don't you change into a Super Saiyan for us?"

"But… you told me never to go blonde-hair-super-strong when Videl is here." Goten said.

"She knows what we are now." Gohan reminded his sometimes absent-minded little brother.

"Oh, okay!" Goten laughed. A second later, he was a Super Saiyan.

Gohan was very proud of his younger brother. He himself had not achieved the level of Super Saiyan until he was eleven, and it had taken him over a minute to gather the necessary power. But Goten, at age six, could transform effortlessly.

"Very good." Gohan said. "How long can you maintain the transformation?"

"Um… Trunks told me that it was about an hour." Goten answered.

"That's a good time for someone without training." Gohan commented. "But did you know that, with practice, you'll be able to stay in that form all the time?"

"No way!" Goten gasped.

"Yes." Gohan affirmed. "Father and I learned it when we were training to fight…" He trailed off for a second, glancing at Videl. She and the rest of the world believed that her father had defeated Cell, not Gohan. "Uh… training to fight." He repeated, and left it at that. "Learning how to do this will give you a large advantage in battle because transforming takes a lot of energy. When you don't have to transform, all the energy that you would have lost can be freely used. Got me?"

Goten nodded. "Transforming makes you tired. Got it."

Gohan turned to Videl. "You can go home now, if you want. I've got to work with Goten now."

"I don't mind." Videl said, sitting down in the shade of a tree. "I like watching you fight."

Gohan blushed and turned away quickly. "Okay." He faced Goten and shifted his center of gravity so that he could react to any of Goten's movements at a moment's notice. "Come at me, then."

"Gohan, aren't you going to turn blonde-hair-super-strong too?" Goten asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Don't worry about me, kid." Gohan said, smirking in an utterly arrogant Saiyan way.

To Videl's eyes, the two demi-Saiyans suddenly phased out of existence and disappeared to thin air. But she knew that they were really moving too fast for the human eye to follow.

Videl sighed and leaned back against the bark of a tree. _Cell was the same way. He moved too quickly for the camera to follow or capture the action. How could my Father have beaten him?_

**LES: Ye-ha! Long chapter! Yes, this is post-Buu, but not 'Gohan gives up Martial Arts in favor of his studies'. To me, Gohan is the character who never really reached his full potential. He has the highest power level out of all the characters, and yet when he was supposed to become the protagonist, it was decided that he wasn't cut out for the roll, and Goku was brought back to life for the second time. Which is against the rules. LOL! Oh, and sorry for all the hand-holding for DBZ vets. It's just that, I don't think Gohan ever explained to Videl exactly what a Saiyan is. She asked several times, but no one ever answered her.**


	2. Saiyan Mating Ritual

**LES: There's a Goku/Chi-Chi LEMON in this chapter. Even though I consider this to be a Gohan/Videl fic, Goku and Chi-Chi will end up getting the first LEMON. Well, they are already married, while Gohan and Videl are going to be sorting out their feelings for quite a while.**

**Chapter II: Saiyan Mating Ritual**

Chi-Chi knew that scent very well. No other human would be able to smell it, but her nose had been hard-wired to recognize the scent from the first time she had made love with Goku.

Saiyan pheromones.

Goten was hanging off her leg, still a little shy around the father that he had never known.

Goku was at the table, having just finished off his mountain of food, and was simply staring into space. Chi-Chi had rarely seen her husband content to sit still. In the past, a bored Goku would have flown off without notice to spar with the other Z-Warriors.

_Maybe it's because he's aroused. But he's never brooded about it before. He's always been playful when he's aroused._ Brooding was something a dog-housed Vegeta might do, but not her husband.

Chi-Chi sighed and looked down at her youngest son. "Goten, it's time for your training."

Goten glanced up at her. "Okay, Momma."

"Not with me. Go and find Gohan. He left earlier with Videl on a flying lesson."

"Oh! You mean kissy-kissy!" Goten giggled.

Chi-Chi also giggled. Videl certainly seemed a fine match for her precious boy Gohan, the girl's oafish father aside. And the thought of being a grandmother made Chi-Chi bubble with happiness. "Hopefully."

"Gross!" Goten groaned, but then swiftly ran out of the house and took off in the direction of his older brother's Ki, which was now nearly impossible to hide to the full extent.

Once Goten was well out of ear-shot, Chi-Chi turned towards her husband, who had quietly watched the whole exchange. "Goku…"

"I could have trained him, you know." Goku said simply. "It's only fair. He should train against the second strongest before he trains against the strongest."

Chi-Chi sat beside him. She knew that Goku was extremely proud of how strong his eldest son had become, but still… a little of the old 'passing on the torch' resentment remained. "You knew ever since Cell that Gohan was going to get stronger than you." Chi-Chi gazed into her husband's face. "But you and I both know that's not really what's bothering you."

"Chi-Chi, there's nothing bothering…" Goku began innocently.

"I've known you too long for you to lie to me." Chi-Chi said. "Not that you were ever a good liar, Goku."

Goku leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while staring at his clasped hands. "I… Cheech, I did a terrible time to you."

"Goku…"

"If I had known about Goten, I would have fought King Yemma like hell to get back to Earth, no matter what sort of dangers I posed or what offers I had to train with the Grand Kai…"

"Don't blame yourself, Goku." Chi-Chi said. "Even I didn't know about Goten when you left to face Cell. There's no way you could have known, even with your Saiyan nose."

"That's no excuse." Goku said. "Even without Goten in the picture, I still had you and Gohan. I missed my first-born son growing up. I died when he was eleven and came back when he was an eighteen year old man."

"He certainly has become a man." Chi-Chi said. "Have you seen him with that Videl girl?" Goku nodded. "They are so much like us when we were younger. But, at least Gohan doesn't think that 'wedding' is a type of food." She glared playfully at her Saiyan husband, recalling the day of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, when they had fought and he had proposed.

"So? It's still the best food I've ever had." Goku said.

Chi-Chi smiled fondly. Finally, there was the Goku she knew and loved. She moved behind her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck, and slipped her ands under the collar of his training gi. She felt her husband's already rock-hard muscles tense under her touch. "Goku, I know you want me. Why are you resisting?"

Goku almost laughed. "After what I put you through? I thought I was in the dog house."

_Come to think of it…_ Chi-Chi realized. _We made love the night after Majin Buu was destroyed and we realized that Goku was still alive, but we haven't had sex since._ She sighed. "I'm sorry, Goku. All of this…" She made a gesture as if she could convey the whole Majin Buu incident with a single wave of her hand. "… is taking some getting used to. But you aren't in the dog house. But you will be if you keep lying to yourself."

Goku smirked. "You know me too well, Chi-Chi." He stood and instantly enveloped his wife and mate in an embrace, nibbling at the refreshed bite mark on her neck.

Chi-Chi sighed as her legs turned into jelly at his attention to the Saiyan mate mark on the base of her neck. It brought back all the memories of their wedding night. Goku had been so naive and inexperienced, and she had to coach him through the foreplay. However, at the moment when he took her virginity, his personality had made a complete one-eighty. He had suddenly become confident, possessive, and just a little domineering. And then, as they climaxed together, he had sunk his surprisingly sharp teeth into the base of her neck. At the time, Chi-Chi didn't understand, and neither did Goku. But now they knew that it was just his more primitive Saiyan instincts breaking through.

But Chi-Chi was no longer a blushing virgin, and Goku was no longer the inexperienced young man that he had been.

She slid her hands across his chest, brushing the top of his training gi off his shoulders. One of her favorite physical features of her husband was his chest. Well… actually, it was her _second_ favorite physical feature.

She ran her hands over his well-defined muscles, down his abdomen, and then back up again as she kissed him passionately.

Goku groaned loudly as he began to work on removing his wife's clothes without ripping it to shreds. Chi-Chi had lost a lot of outfits that way, especially during the early months of their marriage, before Gohan had been born. Thankfully, now he had enough practice to do it blindfolded.

Goku's lips left hers and began to leave a burning trail down the column of her throat as he somehow managed to remove her clothing, save for her bra and panties, without braking contact with her skin.

"Oh, Goku…" Chi-Chi moaned softly as his kisses and nips trailed down her collar bone and between her breasts.

"Cheech…" Goku responded. "I really missed you…" He reached around her body and unclasped her bra, letting it fall unceremoniously from her body. He wasted no time with attack her left breast with his lips, starting at the base and moving to the nipple.

Chi-Chi moaned loudly as her hands clenched in her husband's hair to prevent him from moving away as she arched her body into him. "I… missed… Goku-Augh! Let's go to bed…"

Goku grinned in his utterly arrogant Saiyan way of his as he picked her up easily and held her against his hard body, her legs wrapped around his waist and her sex pressed against his groin.

Chi-Chi gasped when she felt the hardness of her husband's arousal against her and, on instinct, she bucked her hips against his.

Goku hissed in pleasure and instantly pressed her against the wall, grinding himself against her in order to relieve some of his itch.

Chi-Chi's head was flung back and her eyes closed as she gasped with his every thrust. Even though their lower bodies remained clothed, it still felt wonderful and intoxicating. "Goku, bed." She reminded him, gasping as though she were out of breath.

Goku grunted in response and stopped pinning her to the wall and carried her to the bed, nipping at her mating mark the whole time.

Goku kicked the door in and Chi-Chi flinched. Her first thought was that she was going to have to get that door replaced. Her second thought was that she wished she had her frying pan handy. Her third thought was wiped clean from her mind when her husband deposited her on the bed and climbed over her body possessively.

She gazed into her husband's face as he smirked again. Normally, Goku could pass off as a decent human, but in battle and in bed, it couldn't be clearer that he was anything _but _human!

When his instincts took over, he was Goku no longer, but the Saiyan Warrior Kakarot.

_Come to think of it, tonight is the full moon._ Chi-Chi thought to herself. Even thought he had his tail removed by Kami years ago, his Saiyan instincts always seemed to be stronger during the full moon when he normally would have rampaged as a giant ape. Tonight, she would deal with an animal of a different kind.

Her slim hands slipped down until she reached the waistline of his training gi, swiftly loosening the knot, and pushed the fabric as far down as she could reach and Goku assisted with the rest.

"Cheech…" Goku moaned as her searching fingers quickly found his erection, driving him swiftly into the throes of ecstasy.

"You like?" Chi-Chi asked.

Goku grunted and gave her a short nod. To repay her, his fingers slipped into her panties until he was returning the favor and fondling his mate.

Chi-Chi gasped and arched against his hand, begging for his touch.

They writhed together, getting thoughly tangled in the sheets. Finally, after what seemed a lifetime of bliss, Goku removed his hand from her panties and stilled her hand on his erection. "I want you, Cheech." Goku growled.

Chi-Chi smiled. "Then take me." She wiggled her body against his; the action caused her panties to inch slowly down her thighs. And while Goku loved the feeling of his mate squirming beneath him, he didn't have the patience for it today. He hooked his thumbs on the fabric and ripped it down, leaving her completely exposed to his hungry gaze.

Chi-Chi took advantage of his momentary distraction to relieve him of his last article of clothing and flipped them over so that she now had the power and advantage over her husband.

"Chi…" Goku began to gasp. His Saiyan instincts were never comfortable with being submissive to a woman, even if that woman was his mate. But he knew that he would lose in such a protest.

According to Vegeta, Saiyan women were real fire-crackers. They had fierce tempers and they were easily as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than male Saiyans. The women were trained in combat, just like the men, and were the protectors of the planet. When Saiyan men went to war, the woman mostly remained behind to protect the planet against any possible counter-invasion.

Imagine an alien conqueror's surprise when he finds a seemingly defenseless planet and discovered at the moment of death that Saiyan women could kick as much ass as the men!

So it was no wonder that the only two Saiyans left had found Earthling women with similar qualities to Saiyan women.

Chi-Chi quieted him with a finger to his lips. "I want you, Goku. I promise you'll have your turn."

Goku stared up at her, and then nodded his consent. He was the one who had wronged her, so it was only right that he let her have her way… for now.

Chi-Chi strattled his waist and eased onto her husband. She was already well-prepared from the foreplay, so he entered her easily. Chi-Chi threw her head back and moaned loudly. "Goku…"

"Cheech." He replied simply, adjusting their position until he was propped up against the headboard. He grabbed her hips to help assist with her movements.

She rocked against his body, supporting her weight on his hard chest, in a rhythm as old as time itself.

Once Goku had her going in a satisfying rhythm, he released her hips and wrapped his strong arms around her body and attacked her collar bone and breasts with his hot, moist lips. Chi-Chi gasped and buried her hands in his thick, spiky hair to hold him in place against her chest as she continued to ride him and draw all those sexy noises from his throat.

Without fail, Chi-Chi reached her peak rather quickly and screamed her husband's name as she clung to him more tightly than before. And then, much to Goku's surprise, she began to cry against his chest.

"Cheech…?" He whispered.

Chi-Chi wrapped her arms around him as she continued to sob against his chest. "Goku… I've missed you so much…"

"Cheech…" Goku repeated, embracing her firmly. "I missed you too. I missed our family. I missed your home cooking. I even missed that damn frying pan of yours."

That brought a small giggled from Chi-Chi's lips. "Goku, I love you." She whispered.

Goku smirked, rolling his hips against hers to show that he was still quite hard and had not reached his climax in the way that she had. "My turn." He said before flipping them over and retaking the spot of dominance.

Without wasting a second, he began to rock in and out of his wife in short, hard thrusts that caused her to cry out with every movement.

Their cries for each other grew more frantic as their climaxes approached. This time, they came together and swallowed each other's cries of passion with an energetic kiss.

They rode out the full length of their orgasms together and, throughly spent, Goku barely managed to stop himself from collapsing on top of his mate, and instead, fell to one side to lie next to her.

Chi-Chi sighed in contentment as she leaned over and began to plant hot, passionate kisses to his sweat-covered chest. "Goku…"

"Chi-Chi… I love you." Goku whispered as they pressed together to enjoy their last few private moments before the inevitable return of their sons for lunch.

**LES: My first ever DBZ Lemon! The first one I make for each new category is always awkward, but I promise that I can improve with practice.**


	3. Family Ties

**LES: I think I finally know where I want to go with this story. Yah!**

**Chapter III: Family Ties**

Videl watched as Gohan and Goten sparred for the better part of an hour. For the first half-hour, they moved so quickly that she could not hope to follow their movements.

But it seemed that Goten was the one slowing down, and the two fighters phased back into existence, still moving at a speed that she could never hope to keep up with.

She couldn't keep her eyes off Gohan. How could she have ever thought that he was nothing more than a nerdy push-over? Gohan was a Grand Master of Martial Arts; his form perfect and his movements flawlessly executed. He was like a perfect Martial Arts machine in battle.

It was clear that he had amazing training from an early age for him to achieve such a level of mastery at the young age of eighteen. _Who trained him?_ Videl wondered. _Probably his father._ Son Goku was the World Champion from the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, the one prior to the one that her Pops won.

She had grown up with her father being a living legend, as the World Martial Arts Champion and then Cell's defeater. But, before that, Goku had been the Earth's hero.

It bothered her. Why would a man as strong as Son Goku simply drop out of the fighting competitions? He still trained in Martial Arts, but he hadn't been in a Tournament since he won the 23rd Tournament. (Not counting the one held before Majin Buu showed up because Goku never got his shot in the ring.)

The Tournament when her father won… she could understand. She had been born shortly afterward. Gohan was slightly older than she was, so Son Goku probably didn't enter because of his newborn. But the others?

Quite abruptly, both Gohan and Goten stopped in their tracks. Goten's nearly unlimited energy seemed to be running out. His blonde Super Saiyan hair was now streaked with his natural black and his aura flickered in and out of existence. "Gohan! I'm tired!"

"Try to hold on to the power." Gohan coached. "Now is the time when you must go past the limits of your endurance and become even greater than you are."

Goten screwed up his face in concentration, trying to hold onto the power that made him a Super Saiyan. It didn't work. His aura died completely and his hair returned to normal.

Goten fell down to the ground. "I can't do it, Gohan!"

Gohan moved over to his little brother and scooped him up in his arms. "You did very well, Goten. It took me almost a year to master it."

"A—a year?" Goten stuttered in amazement. "But you are the best at everything!"

Gohan smiled. "Well… maybe I'm not the best. There's always a bigger fish."

"Huh? Fish?" Goten suddenly perked up, his fatigue instantly forgotten. "Are we gonna get lunch, Gohan? I'm starving!"

Both Gohan and Videl laughed. Just like the son of a Saiyan, his stomach came first. "Sure. Let's go back. Father and Mother should be done by now."

Goten gazed up at his brother, confused. "Done with what?"

"Kissing games." Gohan answered instantly, turning the conversation back into a G-rated conversation for his little brother's sake.

"Eww!" Goten moaned.

Gohan turned towards Videl. "You are welcome to join us for lunch if you want. My mother has the best cooking in the world."

Videl nodded. Her father may have a strict curfew on her, but she could make the normally five-hour trip back to Satan City in less than an hour. So she had plenty of time to join the Son family for lunch.

"Food! Food! Food!" Goten chanted excitedly as he tried to fly out of his older brother's grip to get back home as quickly as possible. Gohan wasn't expecting the movement, and didn't think to let the boy go.

Goten's movements as he tried to escape sent Gohan whip-lashing… straight into Videl.

They both got knocked to the ground, and Gohan managed to stop his fall at the last second in order to avoid crushing her beneath his body. But, as it turned out, he wasn't quite fast enough to prevent another embarrassing situation.

His body now covered hers as he pinned her between the ground and his body. Gohan was the first to notice just how good it felt to be in this position, and also how close her lips were to his.

"Gohan! I…" Videl began angrily, probably to demand that he get off her, but her voice caught in her throat. She now noticed what Gohan had noticed, and a brilliant blush colored her face as she quickly adverted her eyes.

"Videl…" Gohan whispered quietly, and lowered his face to hers.

But, just before flesh met flesh, a loud call brought them out of the spell that they seemed to be under. "Eww! Kissy-kissy!"

Both teens froze, and then Videl pushed Gohan off her. She was on her feet quickly and dusted herself off. She cleared her throat. "Why, Goten, are you jealous?" She asked playfully, hoping to draw Goten's fragile attention away from what just happened. She scooped the young demi-Saiyan out of the air and gave him a small sisterly kiss on the check.

Goten cried out in horror as he broke out of her grip, wiping frantically at his defiled cheek. "Eww! Cooties! Only Mommy can kiss me!"

Gohan, meanwhile, was still frozen in place, exactly where he had landed when Videl had pushed him.

He was frozen in shock! _We almost kissed!_ He realized, amazed. It would have been a first for him. He had never kissed anyone who didn't also happen to be a relative. Growing up in the middle of nowhere and spending most of his life training in Martial Arts had never presented many dating opportunities for the young demi-Saiyan. Imagining himself with a girl was nearly unfathomable!

Only Chi-Chi seemed capable of maintaining the illusion of her eldest son getting married and giving her the grandchildren that she longed for.

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear his mother calling that lunch was ready.

He only came back to the outside world when Videl kicked him; not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to knock his temporarily stunned brain back into place. "Gohan, Goten says that Chi-Chi's finished with lunch."

No matter what mental, emotional, or physical torment a Saiyan is going through, it could be swept aside instant just at the thought of food.

Gohan recovered quickly, now able to smell the faint scent of his mother's cooking in the air. Without a word, he took off, trailed by his younger brother and Videl.

Food… the cure-all for Saiyans. During the seven years that Goku was dead, Gohan had hunted down stories of his father from his friends. Bulma had laughed as she recalled the first time Goku fought in the World Martial Arts Tournament as a twelve-year old boy. How his opponent in the Finals, Jackie Chun, had somehow hypnotized Goku to sleep. In desperation to get him to stand again before the 10-count finished, Bulma had yelled "Goku! Your dinner's ready!" and the boy was on his feet instantly, spell completely broken.

And his mother, in his own humble opinion, was the best cook on the planet. Even Vegeta was once heard saying: "If there's one thing that harpy mate of Kakarot's is good for, its food." And coming from the arrogant Saiyan Prince that was saying quite a lot.

Thanks to his flight ability, he made it home in a matter of minutes when it would have taken him hours to hike the same distance.

However, once he got home, he realized that his problems were just getting started.

His nose kicked into over-drive. Laced in with the smell of his mother's cooking was the smell of his parent's recent coupling.

He couldn't understand it! For most of his life, he had taught himself to ignore the distinctive scent. Normally, he only realized the scent on a sub-conscious level. But now he was actively scenting it out, separating it from the smells of home.

_What's wrong with me?_ Gohan mentally slapped himself. _Father and Mother have been separated for seven years, so it's none of my business what they do._

Chi-Chi stepped into the sitting room, and she saw her eldest son standing frozen in the doorway. She moved closer. Gohan noticed that his mother had his father's scent all over her. "Gohan? Is something wrong, dear?"

Gohan shook his head violently, trying to dislodge annoying thoughts. "I'm fine, Mother, really."

"Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day that a Saiyan or even a half-Saiyan would stand frozen in place when there is food to be had." Chi-Chi commented, moving back into the dining room. "Hurry up before your father eats all the food."

Thankfully, the reminder of imminent food allowed Gohan to forget his nose and he rushed into the dining room.

Goku was all ready seated, stuffing his mouth full of food at an alarming rate. He was all ready half finished with his own pile of food, and Gohan's food was dangerously close to the line of fire. Gohan quickly took his seat and set into his own food with enthusiasm, giving his father a glare that would make Vegeta proud every time Goku eyed something on his pile.

The Saiyan, human, and demi-Saiyan were soon joined by Goten and Videl. Goten set into the food with as much enthusiasm as his father and older brother, while Videl took her seat nervously.

Videl watched the other human woman, wondering how she managed to get anything to eat in this Saiyan feeding-frenzy. Chi-Chi did not even attempt to reach for her own share of food.

What happened next amazed Videl. Goku grabbed some more food and, instead of it disappearing down his throat, the load was promptly deposited on Chi-Chi's plate. As if nothing had happened, Goku's next handful went down his throat and Chi-Chi began to eat the food provided by her husband.

Videl gazed longingly at the mountain of food. She was sure that, should she attempt to take something, she'd end up losing a few fingers.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she suddenly found her plate full of every item that she had been secretly eyeing. She looked around quickly enough to see Gohan's retreating hand as he went back to his own meal.

Across the table, both Goku and Chi-Chi noticed this small exchange, both of them slightly dumb-founded. Goku looked rather comical with a large amount of ramen hanging half-eaten out of his mouth.

Husband and wife gazed at each other, their eyes confirming each other's thoughts. They had both seen it.

Goku, before his mating to Chi-Chi, had never shared his food, given the option. This practice often led to people being rubbed the wrong way on low-supply Dragon Ball hunts. But, soon after his marriage to Chi-Chi, he began to make sure she was well-fed, even if it meant giving up his own precious food.

It wasn't until they were on friendly terms with Vegeta that the method to the madness became clear. A Saiyan would never let their mate starve. If one mate were incapable of getting substance, the other would automatically compensate and pick up the slack.

But Saiyans only reserved this behavior for those closest to their hearts: their mates and off-spring. And since Gohan was showing this behavior to Videl…

Chi-Chi almost squealed out loud. _I'll have grandchildren in no time!_

While Chi-Chi was mentally celebrating, Goku sniffed the air. He could tell instantly that his son and this Videl girl had not completed the mating bond because there was no physical link between the two of them, and Videl lacked any sort of mark that would show her as Gohan's mate. That aside, they were definitely in the midst of developing an emotional connection.

Gohan finished off a surprisingly large amount of food in a short amount of time, which was unfortunate for him. His nose was working away, and the smell of his parent's activities hit his brain harder than his mother's frying pan ever could.

Without realizing what he was doing, his mouth opened and he began to pant. At least, it looked like panting to anyone unfamiliar with the strange Saiyan physiology. Saiyans, like felines and some other Earth mammals, had an organ on the roof of their mouths called a Jacobson Organ. By pushing air particles into the organ, their sense of smell grew many times better.

And, right now, Gohan's complete focus was on Saiyan pheromones, his parent's coupling, and Videl.

Videl was the first to notice and was staring at Gohan strangely. Goku noticed her confused look and glanced at his son. Gohan was obsessed with smelling something, that was for sure.

Goku took a quick sniff with his own, much more sensitive Jacobson organ, but smelled nothing that he considered would warrant such behavior from his son. So he reached over and closed Gohan's mouth with a finger under his chin. He gave the innocent Son grin in Videl's direction while Gohan blushed, having seemingly come to his senses.

"Uh… Mother, may I be excused?" Gohan asked.

"Sure, honey." Chi-Chi said, smiling brightly. But her smile quickly faded when Gohan rushed out of the room. "Gohan?"

Goku stood up. "I need to go too, Chi-Chi." He followed Gohan out of the room and out of the house.

The strange behavior went unnoticed by Goten, who continued to stuff his face, while Chi-Chi and Videl were left in confusion. Goku had left with food still within arm's reach, an once-in-a-lifetime event. But the woman managed to shrug it off. _Probably a Saiyan thing._ It was a thought that crossed her mind many times before when her husband and sons did odd things. She couldn't even remember how she explained away Goku's strangeness before she found out that he was an alien.

* * *

Goku was able to track his son easily by sensing his enormous Ki, which lead Goku out into the surrounding wilderness. He didn't bother with flying because Gohan really hadn't gone that far away.

Instead, he ran just as he had done as a boy living alone in the mountains. It was a refreshing feeling, and brought back memories of a simpler time… back before he knew about Dragon Balls, inhuman powers, and aliens.

_That life is over._ Goku realized. _From the moment I met Bulma, my life changed forever._

He caught up to his eldest son at one of the many mountain lakes. Gohan sat down at the edge of the water in silence, as if in meditation. Goku knew, however, that his son was not meditating. His Ki was in turmoil, boiling under the surface, ready to explode.

"Gohan?" Goku called to get his son's attention.

"I'm fine, Father. Please leave." Gohan said.

Goku shook his head. "Son, I can read Ki. You are not fine. Something has upset you." Goku paused. Several seconds passed and Gohan did not respond. "Is it about the girl… Videl?"

Gohan bowed his head. "Sorta."

"She's a fine girl." Goku commented. "She's more open-minded than her father, that's for sure. She knows about our… interesting heritage, and yet still accepts us as normal people and not freaks. You wouldn't believe the amount of love needed for someone to love someone of a different species."

"Mom married you when she thought you were human." Gohan pointed out.

"Yeah, but she stayed with me even after she found out I was an alien originally sent to destroy this planet as a baby." Goku said.

"It's… it's not just about Videl." Gohan began, blushing. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing he wanted to discuss with his father. Let's face it; Goku had been dead for half of Gohan's life. He would rather talk to Piccolo about embarrassing stuff, but Piccolo was an asexual alien, and wouldn't understand. "I can smell… what you and Mother did earlier. It's never bothered me before."

"Ohhh!" Goku said. "It's my pheromones, isn't it?"

"Huh? What?"

"Well… I'm not exactly the expert on Saiyans. Vegeta knows more about this stuff than I do. But from what Vegeta says, Saiyans aren't a very modest race." Goku said. Gohan stared in confusion. "Um… pheromones primarily affect that particular Saiyan's mate, but it can also drive near-by males into a sexual frenzy. It's uh… led to some pretty interesting visits with Vegeta and Bulma."

Then it clicked and Gohan realized what his father was trying to tell him. To make it sweet and simple: Saiyans had orgies. And, apparently, his parents and Vegeta and Bulma had engaged in this Saiyan tradition.

"So… you're becoming a man according to Saiyan tradition, so maybe it's starting to affect you too." Goku finished.

"But I'm not a full-blooded Saiyan like you and Vegeta." Gohan tried to reason. "I'm half-human."

"And also an adult by human standards." Goku pointed out. "Look, you were the first half-Saiyan ever born, so there is no way we could know how you would turn out. And you have the biggest influence from my Saiyan blood because you are the only Halfling so far born with a tail. And this is probably all happening today because of the full moon."

"But I don't have my tail anymore." Gohan pointed out.

"Neither do I. In fact, unlike yours, my tail has been removed for good. And yet, the full moon still affects me a little bit." He gazed into the sky. The moon was not visible yet because it was still mid-day, but Gohan knew that it was on his father's mind.

"Father? Could you let me be alone? I need to sort this out myself." Gohan said.

Goku started hovering in the air. "Sure, son." With that, he began to fly back home.

* * *

Somehow, Videl found herself getting roped into going with little Goten on his afternoon romp through the woods.

She simply adored the seven-year old, and envied Gohan for having a younger brother. It was something that Videl, as an only child, had never known.

Goten was a cute seven-year old, but the little boy seemed to be an endless source of energy. According to some of the other Z-Warriors, Gohan had the highest power level within sensing range. But Goten had a different kind of energy, the kind that could drive everyone around him to the point of exhaustion.

Goten was up ahead, zigzagging through the air, on the lookout for any new animals for pets.

"Oh, look! It's Toby and his parents!" Goten waved at a small family of dinosaurs as they flew past, calling out their own greetings.

Videl recognized the small one flying clumsily next to his larger, more majestic parents as the dinosaur that she mistakenly thought Gohan, under the guise of Saiyaman, had stolen. She was glad to see the whole incident had not affected the family at all.

"I wonder where Icarus is…" Goten wondered out loud.

"Who is Icarus?" Videl asked.

"A friend that Gohan made as a little boy." Goten explained. "He's a dragon!"

Videl's jaw dropped. "A dragon?" Dragons were nearly extinct. Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, was the only dragon that she had ever seen.

Goten, however, didn't seem to think that a friendship with a dragon was that big of a deal. "Yeah. But he only comes when Gohan calls."

It was becoming clearer and clearer to Videl that, aside from their training in Martial Arts, their childhoods couldn't have been more different. Son Gohan: Half-Alien, one of the strongest beings in the universe, and friend of dragons.

Something caught Videl's eyes. "Hey, Goten, what's that?" Videl pointed.

From what the young demi-Saiyan could see, she was pointing at a strange tree. A perfectly round chunk had been taken out of the side, like someone had taken the world's largest ice cream scooper to it.

Goten landed, followed by Videl. "I don't know. It's been that way for as long as I can remember."

"That tree has an interesting story behind it." A voice spoke behind them.

Videl spun around. Son Goku was standing behind her. "Daddy!" Goten cried happily, leaping into his father's arms. Videl was struck once again by how closely Goten resembled his father, right down to the caring and care-free smile.

"Mr. Son!" Videl began respectfully, but Goku snorted.

"Just Goku." The Saiyan assured her. "Mr. Son doesn't suit me very well. Besides, it's a lot better than some of the things Vegeta's called me."

Videl was still having a hard time not calling him 'Mr. Son' outside of her head. After all, Son Goku was a Martial Arts legend. He had been the world Champion before her father. And while Videl had heard many comments about 'the former Champion Goku' from her father… mostly put-downs; the fact remained that he was the youngest ever Finalist in the history of the Tournament, and later, the youngest ever Champion. Feats like that tend to stick to your name. She had once seen a recording of the 23rd Tournament, the one when Goku became the Champion, and she found him a Martial Arts prodigy.

She had hoped to personally match his feat at the last Tournament by winning at the age of 18 (and becoming the first ever female Champion). But her run-in with that muscle-head had denied her that. _Oh well… I can still become the first female Champion._ Videl reasoned with herself.

"Uh… Goku… do you know what happened to this tree?"

"Yes. I was there." Goku said. "And I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." He paused thoughtfully. "Eighteen years ago… Gohan was just a newborn… Chi-Chi and I were taking our daily walk through the woods with Gohan in his carriage. We stopped on that hill over there to talk." Goku pointed to a hill some distance away from where they were standing. "While we were talking, Gohan started to roll away from us. Chi-Chi noticed that he was gone and we gave chase. But he had already rolled so far away."

Videl nodded in understanding. The hill in question was steep, and anything would have picked up speed quickly.

"I was faster… I can still remember Chi-Chi's screams to save our baby. He was heading right for this tree. Back then… I thought I was still human… a gifted human, but still a human. And if a human infant hit a tree at that speed… well… it would have been over. I was terrified, but not fast enough. One of the carriage's wheels hit a rock and it catapulted Gohan straight at this tree. But, instead of hitting it, he managed to blast right through it. I caught him on the other side, unharmed."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Goten spoke up from his father's arms. "Gohan can do anything, can't he, Daddy?"

"Yeah. Gohan is pretty amazing, even when he was a newborn." Goku said wistfully. "He's a great son."

"Daddy, where is Gohan? Is he all right?" Goten asked.

"Gohan is just fine, son." Goku responded. "He just needs some time alone for a while."

Little Goten blinked up at his father, a little confused at first. "Okay, Daddy." He floated out of his father's arms. "I'm gonna go to the lake and catch a big fish for dinner!"

"Be careful that a fish doesn't catch you for dinner." Goku warned.

"Okay, Daddy." Goten took off, heading deeper into the mountains.

Videl suddenly realized that she was alone with one of the greatest Martial Artists of all time. It is always thus when you meet one of your heroes: one could think of a million things to say before hand, but when you are actually face-to-face, you can't remember a single word.

Goku's kind face invited small-talk, but she had so many things to say. _Wait… his face!_ He looked extremely familiar. Not from the footage of his Tournament appearances, but from a completely different event.

Normally, she would never consider it, but she had seen Gohan change his eye and hair color at the last Tournament when he went Super Saiyan. "Were you… at the Cell Games?" She asked suddenly.

Goku gazed at her in surprise and then he quickly changed into a Super Saiyan.

Videl realized that her assumption was correct. Goku was the spitting image of one of the strange Warriors who showed up at the Cell Games. "You were the one who warned by father that he would be killed if he entered the ring with Cell?"

Goku nodded. "I was."

"You were the one who went after my father and surrendered?"

Goku nodded again. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why I warned your father? There was too big a difference between his and Cell's power level. It was like comparing an ant to a human."

"But… my father defeated Cell… didn't he?" Videl asked.

This time, Goku chose to ignore her question. "And I surrendered because a good Warrior understands his own limits. I merely fought Cell that I could know for myself what his power was like so that I could know if our strongest fighter had a chance."

"The Delivery Boy? Who was he?"

"That is not my secret to tell." Goku said simply, returning to normal.

"Okay… then who were the rest of the Warriors?"

"The Z-Warriors." Goku answered. "After I won the 23rd Tournament, an elite group of Warriors was formed whose purpose was to defend the Earth against any and all threats. All of us were regular Tournament Finalists, one former Champion, and me. We've had a few additions since the Z-Warriors were first formed, but they too are extremely powerful and have proven themselves in battle over and over."

"Is that way you haven't been in a single Tournament since the one you won?"

"Partially." Goku answered. "We mainly stopped because we were too powerful. We were dominating the Tournaments. So we stopped going to give other people a chance."

_A chance…_ Videl repeated in her mind. _My father won the Tournament because these Z-Warriors didn't show up to give others a chance at winning._

"It's fine. Our job isn't to dominate humans in anyway just because we are more powerful than the average human. Our job is to protect the Earth, no matter the cost." Goku said. "You can go home if you want. Gohan will probably be out there for a while."

"Are you sure he's all right?" Videl asked.

"He's fine." Goku said. "He's at the age when certain Saiyan instincts start to take over, and it's bothering him."

"Did… you go through it?"

"I got lucky." Goku said simply.

"You're right. I probably should go home." Videl said. "Thank you for answering my questions." She said as she took to the air.

"You're welcome." Goku said as he watched her fly in the direction of Satan City.

_Gohan, you're going to have to tell her the truth about the Cell Games soon._ Goku thought to himself as he Instant Transmission'ed back home.


	4. Mystery Boy

**LES: For some reason, I have a complete inability to keep my chapters a reasonable length when writing a DBZ fic. Weird.**

**Chapter IV: Mystery Boy**

An hour later, Videl landed on the out-skirts of Satan City. Her father now knew of her flying ability, but it still gave him a heart attack every time he saw it. He still feebly bleated his old line about it being a trick, but Videl knew better than to listen to it.

She pulled out her jet-copter Capsule, depressed the plunger, and tossed it. Her personal jet-copter instantly appeared in a puff of smoke.

With a sigh, she stepped into the cockpit, and took off at a much slower pace.

Ten minutes later, she couldn't help thinking that she could have flown the distance in under a minute. Her jet-copter landed on the specially designed landing pad next to Satan Mansion.

The house, if you can call it a house, was more like a small but extravagant mansion. It was a gift from the people of Earth to the man who had saved them from Cell.

Videl always secretly thought that it was too big and gaudy. The Satan family had money out the wazoo and servants to wait on them hand-and-foot, but Videl always felt lost inside the large home.

Now that she had seen the peaceful life in the country that Gohan and his family led, her big house seemed too much. Her bedroom alone was three times bigger than the Son's living room. And her living room was quite a lot larger than their whole house.

Videl sighed. Her body was on automatic pilot, taking her to her room. But she was way-laid by an unexpected and rather unwelcome voice.

"Videl!"

Videl froze and sighed. She turned to face Mr. Big-Mouth (AKA: Mr. Satan). If Hurcule Satan wasn't one of the most famous people on the planet, he was defiantly the loudest. Mr. Satan always spoke as if he were on camera. Never, since he had won the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, had he simply acted like the normal man he is. Videl had started to think that the heat from the limelight had fried his brain. If he was a master of anything, it was milking a crowd.

"Where have you been, Videl?!?" Mr. Satan demanded.

"It's not my curfew yet, is it? I thought I had several hours to spare, at least." Videl said shortly.

Mr. Satan's words caught in his throat. But then he started up again when he thought of a reply… several seconds too late. "You've been gone half the day! Have you been with a boy?!? YOU KNOW WHAT I SAY ABOUT BOYS, VIDEL!"

Videl rolled her eyes. "That I can't date until I can find one who is able to defeat you in a fair fight." She recited. "Yes, Dad, I know."

"Well, yeah! I'll be darned if _my_ little Videl is going to be running around with boys!" Mr. Satan ranted.

"Sure, Dad." Videl slipped away, unnoticed by her demanding father.

She changed course, and made a bee-line for the home theater, which literally was the size of a public theater. She checked the DVD player and found the disk for the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament.

_Dad must've been in here earlier reliving the glory days._ Watching these old fights with her father was nearly intolerable, as he saw fit to give her his personal blow-by-blow commentary, which was arguably worse than the commentary he did for the DVD.

She removed the DVD, put it in its case, and then walked over to their large video collection to replace it, right between Tournaments 23 and 25.

Her fingers froze over the Tournament 23 case, the one that Goku won, and probably one of the least-watched videos there, right after that God-awful remake of the Cell Games.

_Why in the world did he buy that stupid video?_ Videl wondered. _He thought it was just as bad as I did._

Then she passed it over and went straight to the actual Cell Games footage, one of the few copies in existence.

She stuck that in the DVD player. She fast-forwarded through the part with her father's pitiful students and her father. Then she played it.

The camera panned over the strange group of Warriors. She paused on each of their faces to better study them.

There was Vegeta, according to Gohan, the only other full-blooded Saiyan left alive. There was an unknown teenager, one who looked suspiciously like how she thought Trunks would look older. The next ones she recognized as Krillin and Yamcha, regular Tournament finalists and students of the Turtle Hermit. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she recognized the next one.

Most people never looked twice at the strange warriors, but how could they miss the one who called himself 'Junior' in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, the one who turned out to be the evil King Piccolo reincarnated? King Piccolo's rein happened before she was born, but it was legendary. There was no mistaking him.

Beside him she recognized Goku in his Super Saiyan form, and was shocked to see him standing so close to Piccolo Jr. According to the World Martial Arts Tournament commentator, Goku had come very close to being killed by him in the Tournament finals.

And on Goku's other side was a young boy, perhaps eleven or twelve, with golden Super Saiyan hair.

The fight started between Goku and Cell, both of them moving so quickly that the cameraman could not hope to keep up with their movements. All Videl could see was the resulting shockwaves of their clashes.

The fight became more violent and increasingly hard to follow. And that is when Goku stopped and made his famous surrender.

She could hear as Cell and Goku made the agreement that Goku would be the one to choose the next fighters. Cell agreed, and Goku's reply did not get caught on the microphones.

The name, however, caused a lot of controversy with the rest of the Z-Warriors. Piccolo Jr. seemed to take the most offense. He got in Goku's face and yelled. The volume was loud enough that she could hear Piccolo yelling something about sending his own son to his death.

That never struck with Videl before, but it did now. Goku's son! Goku had two sons, the youngest of which wasn't even born until after the Cell Games. And Gohan… Videl gasped. _Gohan would have been eleven during the Cell Games! And he is the only person who could possibly be that young boy who fought after Goku!_

"Oh my God! Gohan fought in the Cell Games!" Videl gasped out loud.

Goku seemed to be speaking directly to the younger Gohan now. After a few words, and a quick change of expressions from the other Z-Warriors from anger to surprise, Gohan nodded and floated down to face Cell alone.

"Gohan…" Videl whispered to herself. Then she reminded herself: _Wait a second! Gohan's alive! He obviously survived his encounter with Cell._

She watched in silence Gohan's fight against Cell. And though she had answered many questions about the footage, it started asking more questions than it answered.

_How did Gohan survive? The moment he began to fight Cell he only had three options left: win, die, or surrender. The Gohan that I know would never surrender. His only options were to win or die. And he obviously didn't die. What does that mean?_

And then there was the mystery of Goku's death. Gohan had let it slip once that his father died seven years previously, and Goten had mentioned that he died fighting a 'very bad bogeyman monster'. The Cell Games fit with both clues. How had Goku died during the Cell Games? He had all ready surrendered!

What had happened after the camera stopped rolling? More and more, her father's story seemed less and less likely.

Had Gohan somehow been the winner of the Cell Games? What happened to Goku? Had something gone wrong and he was caught in the cross-fire? And if Gohan did win the Cell Games, why had he stood back and allowed her father to take the credit?

She had never known anyone who would allow someone else to take credit for their work.

She wanted to know the truth. Her father's version of events no longer matched up with what she now knew about the Z-Warriors. Someone was lying and Goku… he seemed like a great man, but he also seemed too simple to come up with a lie of that caliber. And the footage damned her father.

He had been tossed out of the ring like he was nothing more than an irritation to Cell. Her father said that it was a miss-step, but after rewinding it and watching the moment several times, she concluded that her father's form was perfect, that he had _not_ tripped, but had been smacked out of the ring.

_I want to know the truth about the Cell Games._ Videl thought to herself. _Gohan will tell me the truth, won't he?_ "Well, tomorrow's a school day. I'll catch him there."

Videl, satisfied with her plan to corner Gohan at school the next day, decided it was time to go knock around some of her father's students to prove that (while she wasn't at home as often these days) she still hadn't lost any of her touch.

**LES: I'm working under the assumption that this is the first time Videl's seen the Cell Game footage for at least as long as she's known Gohan, and probably for a lot longer than that. This is her first time watching it in a long time, so things are starting to add up in ways they weren't before.**


	5. Trouble on the Night of the Full Moon

**LES: Instead of going straight to 'school the next day', we are going back to the Son family that night.**

**Chapter V: Trouble on the Night of the Full Moon**

Chi-Chi wrung her hands nervously on her apron as she watched her husband and youngest son eat dinner.

Gohan's chair was empty beside the pile of food on his plate. Gohan had not come back from sulking in the forest, even going as far as to ignore the repeated calls from his mother that dinner was ready.

Goku and Goten both finished off their portions and, as one, reached for Gohan's. But they stopped when Chi-Chi, ever vigilant, hit them over the heads with the Instrument of Ultimate Saiyan punishment: otherwise known as the frying pan.

"Ow!" Both Saiyans whined, clutching their sore heads.

"What was that for, Cheech?" Goku demanded.

"That is Gohan's food." Chi-Chi said simply.

"But Gohan's not here!" Goten complained.

"Don't talk back to me, Son Goten!" Chi-Chi threatened, and Goten flinched.

"But, Chi-Chi, that's how Master Roshi did it! If you were late for dinner, you didn't get any!" Goku pointed out.

"Well, I am _not_ Master Roshi!" Chi-Chi pointed out.

"I wasn't saying…"

"Goku, you know where Gohan went. Get out there and find him _now_, or so help me, you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight!"

Goku's jaw dropped. But Goten was simply confused. "What's so bad about that? The couch is comfy!"

The statement was barely out of Goten's mouth before Goku had shot out the door into the surrounding forest.

Chi-Chi smiled to herself. Rule Number One for being married to a Saiyan: Keep a frying pan handy. Rule Number Two: If you can't sway one head, appeal to the other.

* * *

Goku quickly rushed through the darkening woods; the full moon was providing more than enough light to navigate by with Saiyan eyes.

Within minutes, he had made it to Gohan's haunt.

His son sat at the base of a tree, his knees drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on his knees. The young man was staring thoughtfully at the rising full moon.

A quick, and at first glance unidentifiable, movement caught Goku's sharp eyes. Something was moving beside Gohan, twitching every once in a while and steadily growing longer in length… a long brown something.

Goku nearly gasped in shock when he realized what the thing was: Gohan's tail was growing back… and at the worst possible time!

Goku stared up at the nearly-risen full moon in horror. The combination of the moon not being fully risen and Gohan's tail not being fully grown was delaying his transformation, but only for a few more minutes. If he kept staring at the moon like that…

"Gohan! Look at me now!" Goku ordered.

Gohan flinched. Goku rarely ever ordered anyone to do something, so that in itself was a shock. Gohan looked around. "Father?"

"Stop looking at the moon." Goku said. "Your tail's growing back." As he spoke, Gohan's tail stopped growing. It was now fully grown, and ready for a transformation.

"What are you…?" Gohan reached around and felt his lower back. Sure enough, his hand met with fur. "Whoa! My tail _is_ back! It's been so long that I thought it would never grow back!" Then he realized the potential danger. He had been staring at the full moon without realizing that his tail had grown back. A few more minutes, and he would have transformed into a giant ape. "Wow. That was close. Thanks, Father."

"Come back home. You've been out here all afternoon, and your mother is worried sick about you." Goku said. "And keep your eyes down."

"Okay." Gohan said, joining his father on the walk back home.

* * *

Thankfully, they made it back home with little incident. Gohan made sure to keep his eyes away from the sky.

If Gohan had been raised as a proper Saiyan on the planet Vegeta, he would have learned how to keep the mad rage of his ape form under control. But, untrained as he was, he was a danger to everyone around him in his ape form, even his own father.

An untrained rampaging Saiyan is dangerous. It was in ape-form that a child Goku killed his adoptive Grandfather; nearly killed Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong; and then later, he nearly killed everyone at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament.

It had been so long since he had a tail that it felt at once foreign and familiar. As he had seen other Saiyans do, he wrapped it around his waist like a furry, brown belt.

Goku noticed this. As a child, he never hid his tail. At first, he thought that all humans had tails, and then when he discovered different, he realized that it didn't really matter to him after all. His tail shocked everyone he met, but to him, it was a part of him and completely natural.

"Gohan, I'm going to leave it up to you this time." Goku said.

"What, Father?"

"Whether you want to keep your tail or not." Goku said. "I could remove it right now, or we can go to Dende's and have PoPo remove it like he did mine. Or you can keep it if you want."

"But you know that tails are such a liability." Gohan said.

"Yeah, a Saiyan's tail has two major weaknesses: its sensitivity and the loss of control when we are in our giant ape forms. But I was all ready able to overcome the sensitivity when I was fifteen."

"Really? There's a way?" Gohan asked. _Come to think of it, when we fought against Vegeta and Nappa thirteen years ago, grabbing Nappa's tail didn't work at all._

"Yeah. Krillin tried to beat me in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament by grabbing my tail. You can imagine his surprise when it didn't work." Goku said. "But the training is really painful, since you have to manually build up your tail's strength and tolerance for pain."

"But that leaves one major liability." Gohan said.

"Actually, our fight with Vegeta years ago showed me that it is possible to gain control of yourself in giant ape form through the proper training. Saiyans living on planet Vegeta had to learn how to control themselves. Otherwise they would attack and kill each other every full moon." Goku said. "I don't know how to do it since I was sent to Earth, untrained, as an infant. But Vegeta will know how to do it since he grew up on our home planet."

"I'll need to think about it." Gohan admitted. And Goku did not press the conversation any further.

To tell the truth, he was slightly jealous. If he had known all these things when he was training with Kami, he would have never permanently removed his tail.

But there was no use moping about it now. His tail had been gone for years. They walked into the house, and Chi-Chi greeted them at the door. "Oh, Gohan, there you are. Are you all right?"

"Yes." Gohan answered.

"We did have a small complication." Goku said. "Gohan's tail grew back."

"What?" Chi-Chi asked.

Gohan unwound his newly re-grown tail from around his waist.

Chi-Chi sighed. "Are you planning to go to school tomorrow with that tail, young man?"

"Oh no!" Gohan gasped. As a home-schooled boy, having a tail didn't matter. He sat down at the dining room table with his face in his hands. "Everyone all ready knows that I'm Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter. Now everyone's gonna think of me as an even bigger freak!"

Goku looked confused. "You're not a freak."

"Easy for you to say, Father. You have your tail removed when you were fifteen." Gohan said.

"Yeah, so?" Goku asked. "I'm still an alien trying to pass himself off as an Earthling. Do you know how many times I've been called a freak? But you can't let it get you down. Saiyan is part of who you are. My son can never be a freak for being who he is."

Gohan sighed.

"You could wrap your tail around your waist under your clothes." Goku suggested. "As long as you don't get too excited or agitated, everything should be fine."

"Yeah, cause nothing exciting or agitating ever happens at school." Gohan said sarcastically. But, he had to admit, his father's idea was the best so far.

Goten stepped into the room, heading for the kitchen for the first of many glasses of water he would need during the night. He stopped in the doorway, staring at Gohan, or more specifically, his tail. "Mommy? How come Gohan has a monkey tail? Are we related to monkeys?"

Goku giggled and Chi-Chi moved over to her son. After all, Goku and Vegeta no longer had tails, Trunks and Goten had been born without tails, and the last time Gohan had a tail, Goten wasn't even born. "No, Goten. Saiyans normally have tails. But Gohan is the only half-Saiyan so far who has been born with a tail."

"Oh. How come I don't have a tail, Daddy?"

Goku scratched the back of his head in typical Son fashion. "Well, um… since you are half-human, you only have a fifty-fifty chance of having a tail. It's just chance that you were born without a tail."

"Aw! But I wanna tail too!" Goten whined. Gohan suspected that Goten only wanted a tail because he had one.

"Gohan, eat your dinner." Chi-Chi ordered. She didn't need to say it twice. Gohan was on his food faster than a greedy villain on the Dragon Balls.

* * *

Later, Gohan found his father in the living room of their cozy house. "Father? Could you show me how to strengthen my tail?" Gohan asked.

Goku stared at him for a moment. "So, you want to be able to keep your tail?"

"If I can." Gohan said. "Especially if I can learn how to control myself in my giant ape form. If I could do that, very few would want to conquer the Earth when they had to go through a transformed Saiyan first."

Goku nodded in understanding. He had been in some damaging fights in his life, but none could compare to the damage he received when he battled Vegeta in his giant ape form. That was the only time in his life he had been left crippled and completely beaten.

"Okay, I'll help you." Goku said. "But, remember, it will be painful."

"I know. It's a sensitive part of my body. But I can handle pain." Gohan said.

Goku stood up. He walked around behind Gohan and grabbed his tail lightly. "I'll help you at first, but the goal will be to eventually be able to do it yourself. Then you'll be able to withstand the pain and even become strong enough that it doesn't bother you."

"Okay." Gohan said nervously. It was quite harder to stand still than he thought. It was one thing for an enemy to take his tail by surprise and another to be calmly standing, waiting to be knowingly attack at your only weak spot.

"Gohan, I want you to remain standing as long as you can. Focus your mind. I am not your father. I am the enemy, and if you fall, you'll die. Use that as your strength." Goku said.

Gohan nodded. "I understand."

"Okay, on three. One. Two Three." Goku squeezed Gohan's re-grown tail.

The pain was instant and overwhelming. It had been so long since someone squeezed his tail that he had forgotten just how much it hurt. Gohan's legs almost buckled, but he somehow managed to stop himself from falling just in time.

He heard his father's voice from a distance, sounding oddly sinister… oddly evil. "You are finished!" Goku hissed. "You are weak, Gohan. How can you protect the Earth when you can't even take a little pain?" Gohan felt Goku's grip tighten on his tail and he almost cried out in pain. But he grit his teeth and forced his legs to remain under him.

His whole body was trembling. He felt as unsteady on his legs as a toddler just learning how to walk.

He fought with all his might to remain standing. The pain was so intense that he was having trouble breathing. And then it was all over. He fell to the ground and he felt his father release his tail.

The pain stopped, but Gohan was still trembling as he unsteadily got up. Goku was at his side, helping the young man to his feet. "You did very well, Gohan. I didn't last half that long when I first began training my tail."

"Father…" Gohan gasped. "How did you manage to sound so evil? I thought you really were going to kill me for a second."

"Well, Saiyan instincts help some." Goku confessed. "But it's mostly because after you've known Vegeta for as long as I have, you pick up a few things."

Gohan chuckled weakly. "The universe would have been in big trouble if you have been raised as 'Kakarot' on Vegeta."

Goku shrugged. He didn't often concern himself with 'how things might have been'. The important thing was that he enjoyed where he was now: his life, his wife, and his sons.

"That's enough for now." Goku said. "The tail should only take so much abuse in one night. I'll stop by Bulma and Vegeta's tomorrow to see if he'll train you."

"Thanks, Father." Gohan said, backing away from the Saiyan. "I think I've got it." He began to trek to his room.

"You sure?" Goku asked.

"Yeah. Good night, Father." Gohan called.

* * *

The eighteen year old demi-Saiyan did not sleep a wink that night. He could hear his parent's pants and moans from the Master Bedroom, and could smell the pheromones that seemed to hang in the air like a thick fog.

Gohan knew that his younger brother wasn't affected in the slightest judging by the light snores he could hear coming from his little brother's room.

But Gohan sure as hell was affected! It was even worse than his earlier reaction because those pheromones had been old and these were fresh.

He tossed and turned, never able to find a comfortable spot. He grew even more uncomfortable when the potent Saiyan pheromones lit his blood on fire and sent him into a state of unfulfilled sexual excitement.

The human part of Gohan was slightly confused. He had never felt this way before because, while humans reach sexual maturity during their early teenage years, Saiyans don't physically mature until they are eighteen; which is why this was starting to happen to Gohan now. Most Saiyans choose their mate before hand and completed the bond once they were both mature. Goku was a prime example of this. He had just turned eighteen when he married Chi-Chi, so he just coming into his maturity and missed the unpleasantness of an unprepared Coming of Age.

Gohan got up and paced the room, growling to himself and his tail swiping from side to side in his agitation.

He was so aroused that he was in pain. He sat on the edge of the bed, snarling loudly.

Left with little option, he did something that no self-respecting Saiyan would ever do… he performed the purely human act of masturbation.

The teenaged Saiyan bit his own tongue to silence his moans of pleasure and growls of self-loathing. The human part of him had no qualms about doing this act, but the Saiyan in him roared with indignation; roared at him to find a proper mate.

Gohan bit down on his tongue harder as his movements became more desperate.

His strangely enlongated canine teeth easily pierced the flesh of his tongue, and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth, which somehow seemed to arouse him even more.

Just as he heard the climax screams of his parents, he exploded himself, growling low in his throat as he bit harder on his tortured tongue.

He sat still on the edge of the bed, panting hard and shaking with indignation.

The crisis was over, but the aftermath haunted him. His mouth was still filled with his own blood, but it was no longer arousing, but it filled him with disgust.

He pulled back on his boxers and quickly rushed to the restroom, spitting out his mouthful of blood in the sink.

There was a soft tap on the door and it opened. Goten peeked in, holding his late-night glass of water. "Gohan, are you all right?" He asked, and noticed the traces of blood running from the corners of Gohan's mouth and staining the sink. "You're bleeding! Should I go get some of Mommy's medicine?"

Gohan flinched. The last time he had let Goten play 'Doctor' on him resulted in an emergency trip to Kami's Lookout so that Dende could heal him. That was something that he would never allow to happen again.

"It's nothing, Goten… I just… bit my tongue in my sleep." Gohan said.

"Oh! I do that all the time!" Goten said excitedly. "Especially when I'm dreaming about food!"

"I'll be fine, Goten. Go back to bed." Gohan said.

"Okay." Goten said. "See you in the morning."

Gohan gave his little brother a small reassuring smile as he backed out of the restroom and continued to his own room.

Using his Saiyan speed, Gohan rushed outside, allowing his burning skin to be cooled down by the cool night air. He had his eyes closed in order to prevent himself from looking at the full moon, but it didn't matter to him. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, and could navigate it blind-folded if he had to.

This time, however, the woods were not his destination. Instead, he jumped up and landing on the roof of his house to mediate until morning.

It was clear to Gohan that he would be getting no sleep inside the house, so he would take the time to sort out his raging emotions.

He did not move a muscle all night.


	6. School Again

**Chapter VI: School Again**

Everything was going rather well in the Son household early the next morning. That is, until a scream split the silence of the empty mountains.

Goku and Goten burst out of their respective rooms an instant later, Goten still in his pajamas and Goku dressed in nothing besides the blanket he clutched around his waist.

Chi-Chi stood at Gohan's open doorway, frozen in shock. "Chi-Chi, what's wrong?" Goku asked, worried.

Goten moved forward and looked into his older brother's room. It was empty. Goten instantly burst into tears, drawing his parent's attention to him.

"Goten, sweetie, what's wrong?" Chi-Chi asked, picking up the young boy.

Goten spoke brokenly through his sobs. "I saw him… in the bathroom… last night! He was all bloody! But he said he was… all right!"

"My baby!" Chi-Chi screamed, rounding on her husband. "What in the _world_ is happening to my son?!?"

Goku shrugged. "I don't know." He was more than used to his wife blaming him any time Gohan or Goten did anything improper or strange.

Chi-Chi burst into tear to join her youngest son. "Oh, my precious baby! Now he's injured _and_ missing!"

"But… Gohan's right up there." Goku pointed up at the ceiling.

Chi-Chi stared at her husband in confusion. They had a one-story house. There was nothing 'up there'… except…

"Gohan!" Chi-Chi screamed, rushing out the front door while Goku retreated to get dressed. Chi-Chi stormed outside, glaring up at the roof. Sure enough, Gohan was up there in a seemingly meditative state. "Gohan! Get down from there before you fall and break your neck!"

Disturbed from his calm meditations, Gohan opened an eye. "What?" He asked. "Mother, it's gonna take a lot more than a ten foot fall to break my neck."

"Don't talk back to me, Mister!" Chi-Chi yelled. "Get down here this instant!" Gohan stood up and floated down to the ground, landing gently. "Do you have _any_ idea how terrified I was when I found your room empty this morning?!?"

"I'm sorry, Mother." Gohan said quickly. "I needed to clear my head."

"On the roof?!?" Chi-Chi demanded. "You couldn't do that in your room?"

"It's hard to explain." Gohan said, trying desperately to hide his blush.

Chi-Chi glared at him. "Inside."

Gohan flinched and swiftly moved past his rather terrifying mother into the house.

"Get dressed Gohan. And remember what your father told you about your tail." Chi-Chi paused. "Well, at least if your tail is exposed, we'll have a good excuse."

"What excuse?"

"A lot of people saw that your father had a tail at the 21st and 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament." Chi-Chi said. "We could just say that it's a family trait."

"Oh, sure." Gohan said unenthusiastically. _And let people think that one of my ancestors mated a monkey._ "Okay, Mother, I'll go get dressed now." Gohan assured her. He quickly realized that the lingering Saiyan pheromones had no more effect on him. _Probably had something to do with the Full Moon and my tail growing back_. Gohan thought to himself, and was rather glad of the fact.

He dressed quickly, wrapping his tail around his waist and hiding it under his clothes. He was pleased to see that his pants did a fairly good job of hiding his tail. Like Goku had said, as long as he kept it still, no one would notice it.

He finished off with his ugly uniform and walked down stairs to join his family for the mountain of food that his mother prepared.

The Saiyans ate quickly and quietly, and once Gohan was done, he grabbed his school bag and ran out the door, taking to the air quickly.

As usual, he made the five-hour-by-car trip in only half-an-hour, and he arrived at school on time for once. _Thank Kami all the criminals are hiding out in the wake of Majin Buu._ Gohan thought to himself.

School had been a pain since the last World Martial Arts Tournament, since the whole world now knew the identity of the Great Saiyaman. People were now throwing comments his way in the corridor. The most common of which was calling him a "Spider-Man wannabe", whatever that is.

He made it on time to Homeroom, something the other students were quick to notice. "So, Gohan, no early-morning crime-fighting today?" Erasa asked.

"Um… none at all." Gohan replied, sitting down in his assigned seat. _Maybe Saiyaman can make a disappearing act like the Gold Fighter did._ Gohan wondered to himself. _Man, that would suck. That was such a good name too._

A few minutes later, just as the bell rang, Videl ran in, and the sensei gave no notice of this. Videl was often late and being called from classes due to her crime-fighting. All the sensei's were more than used to it by now.

She took her seat beside Gohan. "Good morning, Gohan. How are you?"

_I was up all night, so I'm really tired._ "I'm fine." Gohan said, looking away from her. He had suddenly remembered how they almost kissed the day before.

The same thought suddenly occurred to Videl, and she adverted her eyes also.

They both had resigned themselves to a long, boring lesson.

In fact, the lesson was so boring for one particular tired student that he showed the class something they had never seen before: Son Gohan, the smartest kid in class, falling asleep in his seat.

Videl noticed right away, that behind his propped up notebook, Gohan's head was resting on his arms, clearly asleep.

The professor went on lecturing. "So, using the Quadratic Formula, and assuming the values of a, b, and c are 1, 6, and 3, what is the value of x, Son Gohan?" The classroom became deathly quiet. The sensei glanced up from his notes. "Mr. Son?"

"I think he's asleep, Sensei."One of the students called.

The sensei snorted, and then picked up one of his erasers. The class fell even quieter so you could now hear a pin drop. This particular sensei was known for his deadly aim at sleeping students.

The eraser went flying, and struck Gohan on the top of his head. He was awakened, and stood up instantly. "What? What?"

"I asked you a question, Mr. Son." The sensei said.

"Oh… um… could you repeat it?" Gohan asked nervously. The sensei did so. "X is equal to -0.551 and -5.449." Gohan answered instantly.

The sensei glared at him. "You saved yourself this time, Mr. Son. Thanks to your understanding of the material. But I still do not allow nap time in my classroom, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Gohan responded instantly. "Sorry, sir." He sat down, cursing himself for falling asleep in class. Kami forbid the sensei should call his mother! If Chi-Chi found out her son were sleeping in class, he'd be in for the beating of his lifetime! Even worse than when that Ginyu muscle head on Namek broke his neck, even worse than when Cell nearly took off his arm.

He could sense the rest of the class staring at him, so he turned his full attention on Sensei to ignore them.

_Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be a long day?_ Gohan wondered to himself.

* * *

Lunch, one of Gohan's three favorite times of day, the other two being breakfast and dinner.

As usual, to avoid the staring of students as he ate his mountain of food, he ate his lunch on the roof; he ate his lunch on the roof. Most of his classmates had a lunchbox or lunch bag, but Gohan had a specially designed Saiyan lunch Capsule, courtesy of Bulma's genius and knowledge of Saiyans. It could hold enough food to satisfy even the ravenous appetites of a Saiyan.

In an instant, Gohan's lunch was revealed… enough food to feed his entire homeroom and then some.

Gohan began to drool, and then began to eat from the bountiful spread of all his favorites.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to that sight." A voice spoke calmly behind him.

Gohan looked around. It was Videl. "I can't help it. If there are two things that Saiyans love, its food and fighting."

Videl walked over and sat down next to him. "Something's wrong, Gohan? I've never seen you fall asleep in class before."

"It's nothing much. I just didn't sleep last night." Gohan said, and Videl glared at him. The young demi-Saiyan knew that she didn't believe that he was telling the full story. "It's complicated."

"Is it a Saiyan problem?" Videl asked.

Gohan knew that, like his father, he was pathologically honest, and a terrible liar. So he did something that Piccolo taught him a long time ago. He told a half-truth. "Yeah. My… uh… tail grew back last night and it was a full moon. It was a long night."

"Your… tail?" Videl gasped.

"Yeah." Gohan said. He looked around. They seemed to be alone, so he unwound his tail from the confines of his pants. Videl gasped when he saw the brown, furry, monkey-like tail expose itself.

"Oh wow! You were really telling the truth!" Videl said.

"Yeah." Gohan said, getting back to his food, his tail curling up next to him. "I've had to keep it hidden under my clothes all morning. It's been really annoying."

"Well, I think it's sort of cute." Videl said, gently petting the soft fur, remembering how sensitive Gohan said his tail was.

Gohan began to zone out, like a dog getting its stomach rubbed. Untrained sensitive tails were ultra-sensitive to pleasure as well as pain.

"Gohan?" Videl asked. When he gave no response, she looked up at him and nearly laughed out loud. His eyes were glazed over; he had a goofy smile on his face, and was nearly on the verge of drooling on himself. She stopped petting his tail and Gohan returned to normal as if nothing had happened. "Gohan?"

Gohan looked her in the face. "Yes?"

"What do you remember about the Cell Games?" She asked, almost managing to sound innocent.

"Huh? The Cell Games?" Gohan repeated. "Well… no more than anyone else, I guess. The broadcast was cut off."

Videl glared at him. "Don't lie to me, Gohan. Your dad all ready told me that he _was_ at the Cell Games and that he actually _fought_ Cell. I should have known when I found out that he died the day of the Cell Games."

"Well… maybe I didn't want to talk about my Father's death." Gohan said defensively. His father's death still haunted him, even thought Goku had been brought back to life and told him that he didn't blame him.

"Well… I can understand that." Videl commented.

_How can you even imagine what it's like to know that you killed your own father?_ Gohan thought bitterly.

"But the person who I am most interested in is the Golden Delivery Boy." Videl said leadingly. "He was obviously a Super Saiyan… around eleven or twelve years old. Do you know any eighteen year old Super Saiyans, Gohan?"

"Uh… crap…"

"I knew it! You are the Golden Delivery Boy!" Videl gasped. "So, not only were you at the Cell Games, but you actually fought against Cell! How did you survive?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about the Cell Games." Gohan said. "It's not exactly a very good memory for me."

"But I want to know…"

"Cell was destroyed. That's all that the planet should care about." Gohan said shortly.

Videl stared at the boy. She had never met anyone who didn't agree that her father's defeat of Cell was the greatest event of modern history. Except the Z-Warriors. It was like the Cell Games were an inside joke with them. Anytime someone mentioned Mr. Satan's defeat of Cell, they would exchange knowing looks and smirk or roll their eyes.

They knew something that the rest of the world didn't. And, no matter what, she would find out what it was.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from the stairway. "Hey, Videl, I thought I'd find you up here with Gohan… AUGH!!!" Both teenagers looked around and saw Erasa staring at Gohan with a look of utter horror on her face. "Gohan! Don't move! I'll get it!" She rushed towards the confused demi-Saiyan.

"Get what?"

But it was too late. Erasa stomped hard… right on Gohan's tail.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Time seemed to freeze. Videl's jaws dropped, knowing that in a few seconds, Hell was going to break loose.

And break loose it did…

Gohan cried out in pain, unable to even get Erasa off his tail.

Videl took action. "Erasa! Get off!" She shoved Erasa off Gohan, not really caring how the blonde reacted. Erasa may have her feelings hurt, but Gohan was actually injured. Gohan was doubled over in pain, his tail was twitching spastically.

Videl tried to assess his injuries, but his tail thrashed away violently.

"Don't touch it!" Gohan growled.

"But, Gohan, it looks broken!" Videl said. "We have to get you to a hospital!"

"Not a hospital!" Gohan spat. "They'll just lock me up as a freak!"

"Then where?"

"Capsule Corporation in West City." Gohan said.

As Videl helped Gohan stand up, Erasa noticed that the brown thing she had tried to stomp on was actually attached to Gohan. "Wait… is that a tail?!?" Erasa demanded.

"Now is _not_ the time!" Videl growled, struggling to get Gohan on his feet. The guy weighed a lot more than he seemed. Videl knew that muscle weighed more than fat, and that Gohan was a lot more muscular than his school uniform made him seem; but this was ridiculous! "Stop staring and help me!"

"Huh? You can toss criminals around like dolls, but you can't life one teenage boy?"

"Hey, he's heavier than he looks!" Videl growled.

So, without further complaint, Erasa stepped over to help Videl. Once she had Gohan's arm around her shoulder, she realized that Videl was right. Gohan weighed a ton.

"Wow! For a guy who is capable of flight, he sure weighs a lot!" Erasa commented.

"Be quiet, Erasa! We've got to get him to Capsule Corp." Videl got out the Jet-copter Capsule and unleashed it.

"Capsule Corp.?" Erasa asked. "Why?"

Videl was wondering the same thing. Capsule Corp. was a lab for creating Capsules, not a hospital. What could they possibly do for Gohan's injury?

"Just trust me, okay. I'll explain later." Gohan growled as they worked together to load him onto the Jet-Copter. Once he was safely stowed, Erasa backed down off the ramp.

"I'll tell the teachers you went to fight a gang. Please call me when Gohan is all right."

"Okay." Videl closed the door and took off for West City at full speed. Thankfully, it wasn't that far away from Satan City. "Hang on, Gohan." Videl whispered urgently.

* * *

Goku landed in the private sector of Bulma's Capsule Corp. estate, which she called the 'Landing Pad'.

After a whole group of Z-Warriors landed just outside one of Bulma's private labs and scared the crap out of many of her employees, Bulma had forbidden them from landing where normal people might see them.

Naturally, the first person to meet him was Vegeta.

Vegeta was shorter than Goku, but was nearly as strong as Goku was. The two Saiyans couldn't fight without both sides getting seriously injured.

Vegeta would never call Goku by his Earthling name, always insisting on calling him by his Saiyan birth name, Kakarot. Goku was more than used to it and answered to both names.

"Kakarot, did you come here to spar? We never did get the chance to finish that fight just before Majin Buu arrived." Vegeta said.

"As fun as that sounds, I'm actually here to ask you a favor." Goku said.

Vegeta snorted. "If it doesn't include the word 'spar' then I'm not interested."

"Actually, Gohan's tail grew back last night…" Goku began.

"And, let me guess, you weaklings want to remove his greatest power?"

"No. Gohan actually wants to keep his tail, if at all possible." Goku said.

"You must be so proud, Kakarot." Vegeta said with a smirk. "Your brat is more intelligent than you are."

Goku frowned, and then decided to ignore it. Vegeta was always calling him stupid, so he used to that too. "I'm very proud of Gohan." He said. "Before I had mine removed, I trained it so it wouldn't be so sensitive, so I am helping him with that, but there is another weakness that I can't help with…"

"What weakness are you talking about?" Vegeta demanded. "There are no more weaknesses a strong Saiyan should worry about."

"I never learned how to control myself in my transformed state. I hurt and even killed people that I had loved. When you fought me in your giant ape form years ago, you had control and could even speak to us." Goku said.

Vegeta suddenly understood now. It was the same with all the low-class Saiyan babies that had been sent out to destroy a planet. When they were picked up, they were untrained and wild. Of course Kakarot had never learned how to control himself in such a state, and so teaching it to his son would be impossible.

"So… you want me to train your son how to control himself?" Vegeta pondered. "Can he speak in our native tongue?"

Knowledge of the Saiyan language was instinctual. But Goku had not begun to really speak it until Vegeta joined the Z-Warriors.

"I guess." Goku said. "I don't speak it much unless you're around, but he seems to understand it when I do."

"Well, hopefully he has the instinctual knowledge. An untrained, transformed Saiyan can only understand Saiyan and certain animals…"

"Like dragons?" Goku asked, remembering when the Saiyan Turles had attacked Earth. Gohan had transformed, and even tried to kill his own father. But then Icarus the Dragon calmed him down.

"Uh… I suppose… why not?" Vegeta commented. "Sure, I'll train your son."

"Thanks, Vegeta."

Vegeta snorted again. "I'll never understand how that half-Saiyan brat has become more of a Saiyan than his full-blooded father."

Goku laughed and scratched the back of his neck. And then he stopped abruptly.

Vegeta looked at his fellow Saiyan curiously. "What is it, Kakarot?"

"Gohan's on his way here right now. He should still be in school." Goku said. "He's also coming at a pretty slow rate. Definitely not by flying or even by the Flying Nimbus."

Vegeta silently cursed that damn cloud. He had seen Kakarot's youngest brat riding the thing several times before he learned how to fly. Vegeta had tried to ride it once after Bulma told him that the cloud was picky about who rode it. He was sure that, as a Saiyan Prince, he would meet whatever standards the cloud had. Especially if that moron Kakarot and his moron son could ride it.

But when he tried to jump on, the cloud had dropped him and he fell through it like it wasn't even there. The Woman, Kakarot's harpy mate, his own brat, and Kakarot's brats had seen and laughed themselves silly. The story soon spread to the other Z-Warriors and he had to endure jabs about his 'tainted purity' for weeks.

Vegeta extended his senses, but could feel nothing of Gohan's massive energy. But that didn't surprise him. Saiyans always had a strange and not-fully understood connection with their off-spring. Vegeta himself could sense his son practically anywhere on the planet, and it was the same for Kakarot.

On occasions, off-spring could sometimes learn techniques from their parents. It was the only explanation for why every single one of his and Kakarot's brats were capable of becoming Super Saiyans. As far as Vegeta knew, the Super Saiyan of legend never had a mate or off-spring.

A few moments later, Vegeta could feel Gohan's energy on the edge of his senses. That brat always made an entrance now-a-days. Every since that Old Kia gave him control over the Hidden Potential that Gohan had since he was an infant, his power was so great that it was nearly impossible to completely hide.

_Maybe it wouldn't be such a great idea to train him._ Vegeta thought to himself. _Gohan is as close to becoming a Legendary Super Saiyan as any of us. Perhaps it is a bad idea to allow him to unleash his full power. Could his power end up destroying him?_

"Something's wrong." Goku said.

"What is it, Kakarot?"

"His power level is much too low." Goku said. "He's actually a lot closer than he seems. Even you should be able to sense him from much further away."

"How close is he?" Vegeta asked.

"He's on the street in front of Capsule Corp." Goku answered.

"What?!?" Vegeta demanded. "How _dare_ that brat sneak up on my house!?!" Vegeta took off at a run while Goku followed. They quickly moved across the Capsule Corp. estate to the front. Goku was shocked to see Videl's Jet-Copter landing on the street. Vegeta glanced at the look on Goku's face, which changed very quickly from confusion to understanding. "Who is it, Kakarot?"

"Do you remember a man called Hurcule Satan?" Goku asked.

Vegeta thought for a moment. "You mean that moron from the Cell Games and the human who tagged along with us during the Majin Buu incident?"

Goku nodded. "That's his daughter's vehicle."

Videl exited the Jet-Copter just in time to hear Vegeta's response. "Daughter?!? How could a woman mate with that brainless muscle head?!? Well, Kakarot?"

"And what makes you think I'd know that?" Videl heard Son Goku reply.

"Well, you're a brainless muscle head too. How'd you get your harpy to mate you?"

"I am _not_ brainless! And Chi-Chi is _not_ a harpy!" Goku yelled back.

Videl waited for them to approach. Gohan told her that his father and that Vegeta guy had a love-hate relationship, and at the moment, it seemed to have swung towards the 'hate' end of the spectrum. They were both glaring daggers of death at each other as they came into view.

"Um… Son Goku, what are _you_ doing here on Capsule Corp. property?" Videl asked. She had been to Capsule Corp. only once in her life, and that was with a class trip. She could have sworn that Gohan's father and Vegeta had come from the private housing part of Capsule Corp.'s estate, where only family and friends were allowed.

"Huh? You mean that Gohan hasn't told you?" Goku asked, confused, his attention taken away from Vegeta for the moment. "Bulma is my oldest friend. I've known her since I was twelve years old, and she's like an older sister to me."

Videl's jaw dropped. The Son family _knew_ the Briefs? The Briefs family was _the_ richest family in the world! They were wealthy in the way that small countries are wealthy! She had no idea that the Son family was so well connected. Even her father couldn't get in with Capsule Corp… not for want of him trying.

Then Goku put a brotherly arm around Vegeta's shoulder, who shrugged him off instantly. "And Vegeta here is Bulma's mate!"

"Kakarot!" Vegeta hissed angrily.

"Mate?" Videl asked confused.

"The human term would be 'husband'." Goku explained. "Sorry, I should have said husband. I'm just so used to people knowing what I'm talking about when I say 'mate'."

"Kakarot! Have you forgotten about your son?" Vegeta demanded in the Saiyan language.

Goku spun on him, replying in Saiyan. "No! I haven't!"

Videl didn't understand what to do when they suddenly switched to a strange guttural language. She guessed that it was their native Saiyan language. But simply knowing what the language was did not help her understand it in the slightest.

Goku turned back towards her. "Where is Gohan? What happened to him?" Videl sighed when she recognized the language as her native Japanese.

"Someone at school saw his tail and stomped on it. I think it's broken. Gohan told me to bring him here." Videl answered.

"It's a good thing you did." Goku said. "Bulma's doctor knows more about Saiyans than any other Earthling. He's had to learn a few things when Bulma's husband is a Saiyan and their son half-Saiyan."

"I'll get the Woman." Vegeta said, walking towards Bulma's private lab. "Kakarot, you get your brat inside."

"Gotcha, Veggie." Goku said playfully, and Vegeta growled. Goku followed Videl to the Jet-Copter.

"So… Kakarot… that's your Saiyan name, isn't it?" Videl asked.

"Yep." Goku said. "It took a while to get used to being called both Goku and Kakarot, but there was no chance of Vegeta ever calling me by my Earthling name." Goku giggled, as if at some private joke.

"So, what does 'Kakarot' mean in Saiyan?" Videl asked, curious.

"It means 'Battle Cry'." Goku said. "I don't really get it either. I guess Saiyans just loved to name their children after battle-related things."

**LES: I'm going to go ahead and end the chapter there since I have a lot of notes to go over.**

**#1: I think that the Saiyaman Saga is a parody of early Spiderman. Come on, a dorky high school crime fighter with a lame costume? Saiyaman=Spiderman.**

**#2: The reason Goku giggled after saying that Vegeta would never use his Earthling name: I decided to have some fun and make 'Goku' mean something in the Saiyan language, just to explain why Vegeta would never use it in reference to Goku. Observe:**

**Goku: Hey, guys, bet I can make Vegeta say something you've never heard him say before!**

**Krillin: Yeah, right.**

**Goku: Hey, Vegeta! How do you say 'badass mother-f***er' in Saiyan?**

**Everyone: …**

**Vegeta: (growl) 'Goku'.**

**Goku: (giggle)**

**Now wouldn't that be something?**

**#3: Kakarot=Battle Cry. I wanted to come up with a meaning for Goku's Saiyan name. I chose 'Battle Cry' because just about every episode, movie, and special where they show Goku as a baby, someone makes a comment about him having the cries of a warrior. (Mostly due to the fact that he is constantly crying his head off). So I figured that "Battle Cry" would be a fitting name for a loud Saiyan child. Let's face it, baby Kakarot's screams were such that they started Broly's life-long grudge. Yep, Broly, or as I like to call him: Mr. Broken Record.**

**Broly: Kakarot! Kakarot! Kakarot!!! KAKAROT!!!! (foam at the mouth).**

**Goku: Stop shouting my name for the love of Kami and all that is good in the world! Can't you say anything else?!?**

**Broly: No… Kakarot!**

**Goku: …**


	7. Congratulations Kakarot

**Chapter VII: Congratulations, Kakarot**

**LES: Another quick note. If you've watched SSJGozar's Alternate Reality Dragon Ball Z parodies, you'll know that "Mystic" Gohan has become something of one of his most common running jokes. And, while I don't agree with the near-constant Gohan-bashing, he does make some fair points with the word 'Mystic'.**

**#1: It is a fan term. The word "Mystic" isn't anywhere in the Anime or the Manga. The proper term is "Ultimate" Gohan.**

**#2: It's not a 'form'. What the old Kai did was give Gohan control over the Hidden Potential powers that he had since he was a child. It raised his **_**base**_** power level, not gave him a new form.**

**#3: Gohan is not incapable of becoming a Super Saiyan. He **_**doesn't need**_** to become a Super Saiyan! There's a difference. Gohan is the only character that could stand his own against Majin Buu without becoming a Super Saiyan. **_**That**_** is how powerful Gohan is.**

**LES: Therefore, you won't see the word "Mystic" in this fanfiction.**

* * *

Bulma had long ago hired a private Doctor who had become the authority on Saiyan anatomy and physiology, someone who was paid a great deal to keep his mouth shut about the fact that there were aliens on Earth.

Gohan was now lying on his stomach on the examination table while the Doctor inspected his injured tail.

_First I get hired to treat aliens… now I have a tailed half-alien._ The Doctor thought to himself, thinking back to the good old days when he just treated humans.

"It's broken, all right." The Doctor said.

"Oh! It's all my fault!" Videl gasped. "I'm so sorry, Gohan!"

"It's not your fault." Gohan replied, winching as the Doctor bound his tail tightly so that it would heal correctly. "I shouldn't have left my tail out in the open."

"You're damn right." Vegeta said from his place leaning against the wall. "Why do you think we wrap our tails around our waist? To avoid foolish accidents like this."

Bulma sighed heavily. "My ever-so-sensitive husband…"

"It's not _my _fault if that moron brat-spawn of Kakarot inherited his stupidity." Vegeta commented.

"Again with the stupid jokes." Goku commented.

"Is it my fault if you make it so easy?" Vegeta asked, smirking.

Goku rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his son. "How are you feeling, Gohan?"

"It's pretty painful." Gohan grunted. "I'm used to bodily injury, but this injury is somehow more painful than all those other injuries combined."

"It's done." The Doctor said as he tightened the wrapping one final time which nearly caused Gohan to cry out in pain. "Try to keep your tail still. Judging by how quickly you Saiyans can heal, I'd say your tail will be back to normal soon."

"Oh man…" Gohan moaned.

"What?" Videl asked.

"Mom's gonna _kill_ me when she finds out that I missed the second half of school today!" Gohan moaned.

"How could she? You got hurt! What would she expect, for you to sit in class with a broken tail?" Videl asked.

"You don't know my mother like I do." Gohan said. "Nothing short of the end of the world is a good excuse for not studying. And, even then, she'd find a way to bring my textbooks to the afterlife."

"Oh wow." Videl said.

"Thank you, Doctor." Bulma said, shaking his hand and reminding him why dealt with these obnoxious Saiyans and half-Saiyans. When their hands separated, a large amount of money was left in the Doctor's fist; a 'tip' for his silence. As always, the bribe was gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, Mrs. Briefs." The Doctor said, bowing himself respectfully out of the room.

Goku moved over to his son, and Videl moved out of the way for him. "Are you sure that it doesn't hurt too much?"

Gohan managed to crack a smile. "Well, I'll live, but I've definitely had better days, Dad."

In the background, Bulma tugged on Vegeta's arm. "Stop pulling on me, blasted woman!"

"Vegeta, can't you see that this is a 'Father-Son' moment?" Bulma huffed.

"No! What's that?"

"It's like when you train with Trunks, except without the pain and injuries." Bulma explained.

Vegeta stared at her. "What's the point of that?"

"Let's just go!" Bulma said pointedly, pushing him out the door.

"Damnit, woman! How dare you push me?!? I am the Prince of all Saiyans!" Vegeta yelled from down the hallway.

Goku laughed. "Vegeta… he certainly makes life interesting."

"That, he does." Gohan agreed.

"Well, I guess I'll be going." Goku said, putting two fingers to his forehead to prepare for the Instant Transmission. "I'll talk to your mother about this, and I'll even throw in 'taking-the-blunt-of-her-aggression' for free."

Videl jumped up. "Oh, you don't have to leave on my account." Videl said. "He is your son."

"It's fine." Goku said. "I know my son, and he's survived much worse than this. It's painful, but he'll be fine." His expression changed to one of concentration and he disappeared in a flash.

"That's a really neat trick." Videl commented.

"Being able to transmit yourself at the speed of light would be a great thing to know." Gohan commented, winching. "I really got to learn how to do that."

"Are you in pain, Gohan?" Videl asked.

"Yeah." Gohan answered. "But my father's right. I'll live."

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Videl asked.

"No." Gohan responded. "You don't have to stay here, you know. I don't feel like very good company right now."

"I don't mind." Videl said. "Just being with you is good enough company."

Gohan made no reply.

* * *

Vegeta had no idea what to do with himself. The woman had still not fixed his Gravity Room after it broke down last week with the slight help of a well-placed Ki blast.

Bulma had put him on the couch for three days because of it, blasted woman! It wasn't _his_ fault if the Gravity Room couldn't handle a single Ki blast, even if he did hit the main computer.

He felt Kakarot's departure, but knew that he would be back soon. So, to pass the time until that moronic excuse for a Saiyan got back, he decided to do his second favorite activity aside from beating on Kakarot… raiding the refrigerator.

He snuck into the kitchen, on the constant look-out for Bulma, who always got pissed at him for his food-runs, for some odd reason.

A true Warrior runs on his stomach, after all.

The Saiyan Prince got himself a light (in Saiyan terms) snack to time him over until dinner. He settled down and began to eat.

Vegeta could hear no conversation coming from Kakarot's first brat's room, but didn't need to. He knew exactly what was going on with Kakarot's oldest brat.

The boy's Saiyan instincts had decided on that Satan girl to be his mate. But the stupid boy was hesitating. His damn human side was interfering.

_Note to self: Beat the human out of Trunks so he's not a pansy like Kakarot's brat._

Suddenly, the noise level increased from 'peacefully quiet' to 'loud-enough-to-burst-Saiyan-eardrums'.

"Yow! Chi-Chi! Stop hitting me!" Vegeta spun around and saw an interesting sight.

Kakarot had obviously used his Instant Transmission power to teleport into Capsule Corp's kitchen (probably aiming for the Saiyan Prince) but he had accidentally brought his harpy mate along for the ride.

She was now using the Torturous Instrument of Frying Pan Doom ™ to 'knock some sense' into Kakarot's empty head.

"How could you let Gohan skip out on school, Goku?!?" Chi-Chi yelled, still hitting her husband over his thick head with a very dented frying pan. "Don't you know how important Gohan's education is?!? How will he become a great scholar if he's skipping out of class left and right like it's nothing?!?"

"It's not like he was ditching, Chi-Chi!" Goku whined, trying to shield his head from his wife's fury. "He got hurt!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not mine!"

"Of course it's your fault!" Chi-Chi yelled. "He broke the tail that he inherited from you!"

"It's not like we planned it that way!"

As much as Vegeta enjoyed watching that harpy yell at Kakarot, their screeching was starting to annoy him. "Will you two morons stop that?" Vegeta growled, Goku and Chi-Chi froze. "You should be proud of your son, woman. He's turned into a fine Saiyan warrior despite having a shrieking harpy like you for a mother…" Vegeta's comment, however, was cut short when Chi-Chi hit him across the face with her frying pan.

"A shrieking harpy, am I?" Chi-Chi demanded. "I'll show you a shrieking harpy!" She prepared another swing with her pan.

But Goku quickly intercepted, catching the pan. The last thing they needed was for Chi-Chi to piss off Vegeta by formally introducing him to her frying pan. "Cheech, Gohan was hurt pretty badly. Remember how I was when you squeezed my tail that one time? Now, imagine how badly a Saiyan would be hurt if their tail was broken." Goku said calmly. "Look, we'll both go to Gohan's school later and get his work for the next few days, okay?"

Chi-Chi glared at her husband while Vegeta stared in amazement. Did Kakarot just say the exact thing to calm down his harpy mate? Maybe he was smarter than Vegeta gave him credit for… _Well… maybe just a little._ Vegeta thought with a smirk.

Chi-Chi sighed. "Okay. Where is my son?"

"Down the hall, in the room that we stay in when we visit." Goku said. "Videl is in with him.

"Videl?" Chi-Chi asked. Goku nodded, and then she smiled and left.

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, leaning casually on the table where his food still awaited him. "Well, Kakarot, I believe congratulations are in order… for several things in fact."

"What for?"

"Well, you've finally managed to out-smart your harpy wife." Vegeta said, smirking and tapping his own temple. "Be careful, Kakarot, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself."

"Vegeta! I am capable of handling my own wife!"

"Oh, sure. That's why you are the most pussy-whipped Saiyan in the history of pussy-whipped Saiyans." Vegeta commented.

"Well, you're one to talk, Vegeta. I hear that you broke the Gravity Room again. How many nights did Bulma make you sleep on the couch for that one?" Goku asked, flashing an arrogant Saiyan smirk.

Vegeta growled. "Three. Damnit, Kakarot! Don't chance the subject!"

"Okay… so what else?"

"Well, your brat is bonding with that human girl. I could smell it instantly." Vegeta said. "It won't be long before the bond becomes complete. I'll give it two or three full moons at the most."

"I all ready knew that." Goku said, beginning to walk out, but he paused in the doorway. "Oh, and Congratulations to you too, Vegeta."

"For what?"

"Oh, nothing much." Goku said, almost managing to sound innocent. "I just happened to notice that Bulma's scent is a little different today. And her Ki's weird too, like it's storing itself up for something big."

"Something… big?" Vegeta spat out brokenly, shocked.

"I hope it's a girl this time." Goku said. "A daughter's just what you need."

Vegeta stared at Goku in shock. "Are you shitting me, Kakarot, because I swear if you are…"

"Nope! Not at all!" Goku said. "I mean, it's early on, so even I barely noticed it. But I'm pretty sure."

"Damnit!" Vegeta swore.

"Just watch, I bet Bulma's going to tell you soon." Goku laughed.

"Oh God, this is just great! Another brat!" Vegeta moaned, leaving the kitchen in a daze.

Goku smirked again, and then decided to go and make sure that Chi-Chi wasn't giving their son too hard a time. He loved his wife, but he also knew better than anyone her fierce temper.

As he approached the door, the room sounded reasonably quiet, so she obviously wasn't yelling at him.

He opened the door and found her in the second to two modes that she had for her eldest son. One was angry, and the other being overbearing.

She had Gohan crushed in a pretty violent embrace while Gohan hissed in pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Mom! You're kinda hurting me!" Gohan yelled desperately.

Chi-Chi ignored him and squeezed harder. "Oh my poor baby! What did those evil children do to you?!? Do you want to go back to home schooling, Gohan, so those nasty children can never hurt you again?"

"Mom! _You're_ hurting me!" Gohan groaned.

This finally got through to Chi-Chi, and she let go of her eldest son. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Once he was released, Gohan quickly pulled himself together. After all, he had suffered much worse injuries before. "Mom, I'll be fine. And it wasn't Erasa's fault. I shouldn't have left my tail out in the open."

"Um… Gohan?" Goku began.

"I'm a little tired, Dad." Gohan said.

Goku nodded. "It would be best if you stayed here tonight." He said. "Are you gonna be all right here?"

"Sure, Dad. Could you, um… send in Vegeta?" Gohan asked.

Goku sighed. He could tell from the look in Gohan's eyes that something was bothering him. And Goku was hurt that Gohan would rather talk to the other Z-Warriors than him. _Was there really a time when he told _me _everything?_ Goku wondered to himself. It was the price of his absences from Gohan's life, and Goku know that he would never be that close to his eldest son again. Hearing Gohan asked to speak to Vegeta just sunk that fact home.

Gohan caught the saddened look in his father's eyes, and he felt terrible for it. He didn't want to hurt his father. It was true that during the years of his deaths and absences, Gohan learned to see the other Z-Warriors as father-figures, but he still loved his father. This particular issue had more to do with the fact that there are just some topics that you don't want to discuss with your parents.

Piccolo was normally his first choice of a non-parental confidant, but Piccolo wasn't a Saiyan, so he would not understand Gohan's problem. Vegeta was really his only choice.

"Dad, I…" Gohan began.

"It's all right, son. I understand." Goku said. "I gave up a lot of things seven years ago… some things that I know that I'll never fully get back."

"I do still love you, Dad." Gohan assured him. "It's just that I need to ask Vegeta something about…" He noticed that Videl was still in the room, so he cut himself off. "… Something that I don't feel comfortable talking to my parents about."

"Huh?" Goku asked.

"He's talking about sex, Goku." Chi-Chi said frankly with a small smirk. It was hard to tell that Chi-Chi was completely human the way she could pull off a Saiyan smirk.

Videl blushed in the background, but Gohan blushed more. "Ma—Mom!" Gohan stuttered. "Why do you have to be so obsessed with getting grandchildren?!?"

"Well, I'm not like your father, who hasn't seemed to get a day older in almost twenty years!" She gave Goku a glare, as if to say 'how dare you keep your youth'! "I'm not getting any younger, and I want a grandchild to spoil."

"You already spoil Goten, Mom." Gohan pointed out.

"No I don't!" Chi-Chi protested.

"Oh, Mom. The only times you let _me_ train in Martial Arts when I was a child was when the world was in danger or there was money involved. You trained Goten every day while I was doing homework!"

"Well… things are different with Goten." Chi-Chi said nervously. "I knew that you were extremely intelligent, even as a baby; but Goten… he's got more from his father than his looks."

Gohan glanced at his father, who was staring pointedly out the window. He was probably used to people insulting his intelligence, but it probably never got easy. Gohan didn't think that his father was stupid. It true that Goku wasn't book-smart; an unfortunate side-effect of having never been to school. He couldn't tell you what Pi is… ("Pie! What pie! Where?"). Gohan knew that, if he had ever been given the chance, his father could have been very intelligent. His genius on the battlefield proved that.

"You want me to go get Vegeta and leave you alone?" Goku asked. Gohan nodded. "Okay, Instant Transmission time! Videl, you want me to drop you off at home?"

Videl nodded. "Thanks."

"Okay, hold on; let me take my wife home first. Cheech?" Chi-Chi grabbed onto her husband's shoulder, and they phased out of existence together. A second later, Goku returned for Videl. Videl grabbed onto his shoulder too, and they also phased out of existence. Two seconds later, Goku dropped off a surprised Vegeta in Gohan's room before taking off again.

"Damnit, Kakarot! What the hell do you think you're…?" Vegeta yelled, too late. Goku was long gone. The Saiyan Prince glanced around and his dark eyes settled on Gohan. "Brat, did you ask your father to bring me here?"

"Yes." Gohan answered.

"Why I was in the middle of something." Vegeta said. (In actuality, he was sniffing around Bulma to see if what Kakarot had told him was true. It seemed that he was right.) _Damnit…_

"I need to talk to you… about Saiyan things…" Gohan began nervously.

"Your moron father all ready told me that you wanted to learn how to control yourself in Oozaru form. But it won't do you much good now with a broken tail…"

"It's not about that. It's about the Saiyan Coming-of-Age." Gohan began. "Last night was the first time I've ever felt anything like a sexual frenzy. I just need to know exactly what is going on with me."

"Sounds more like a rut, brat, not a Coming-of-Age." Vegeta said. "The Coming-of-Age always happens on a Saiyan's eighteenth year, but a rut can happen on any full moon after your Coming-of-Age and meeting your bonded mate."

"Oh man. That's' just what I need right now…" Gohan moaned sarcastically.

"As for what's going to happen… I'd say that depends on how your future-mate reacts." Vegeta said. "If you were a full-blooded Saiyan living on Planet Vegeta, and your mate were a Saiyan female, courtship would only last a few days."

"A few days?!?" Gohan gasped in amazement. "Is that enough time to fall in love with someone?"

"Saiyan hearts are not fickle." Vegeta said. "And our instincts for picking a mate are highly evolved. Tell me, how long did your parents know each other before they got married?"

Gohan sighed. "About two or three days."

"Exactly. And they are still happy together?"

Gohan recalled the moans that had kept him up last night. "Oh yeah."

"But, I'd say that since you are a half-Saiyan, your instincts are clouded by human uncertainty. It may take months for you to realize what Kakarot and I have noticed."

"What?"

Vegeta sighed. "I thought you were intelligent. That you've begun the bonding process with the Satan girl."

Gohan blushed. "What? Vegeta, I…"

"You're reaction is only proving me right, boy." Vegeta said with a smirk. "I'll give you three months at the most to become fully mated with her, and that's only if you're very slow with her."

"Vegeta, the situation with Videl is complicated." Gohan began.

"It's only complicated because your 'human' doubt in your own guts makes it so." Vegeta said. "Once we get you transforming into an Oozaru, your body will be screaming to mate that girl."

Gohan sighed. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Sure. Know that if you wait too long, your instincts will take over your body and you will rape her." Vegeta began as Gohan stared at him in shock. "Rape would never be an issue back on Planet Vegeta since a Saiyan is only interested in their mate. But humans tend to look down on it, or so I've heard."

_Ah, Kami, great! That would be just the way to win someone's heart! Rape them!_ Gohan laughed nervously. "Ah… thanks, Vegeta. That's all." Vegeta grunted and left, leaving Gohan to his own thoughts.

* * *

**LES: In case you haven't noticed, I'm using a bit more Japanese than I have been with Dragon Ball Z. But, after watching "Dragon Ball: Evolution" and seeing that even that crappy movie used terms like "Oozaru", I felt like a loser to not be using it myself. Besides, "Oozaru" is a lot easier to write than 'giant ape form'. And as soon as I learn the proper spelling for the Japanese term of "World Martial Arts Tournament", I'll be changing that too.**


	8. The Hunted

**LES: Oh, this is really random, but I kind of made a spur-of-the-moment classification system for civilizations. It's a simple one-to-five scale. 'Class One' would be equal to primative people. 'Class Five' is the fully-evolved race, technologically advanced... you get it. It's not overly important, but I thought I should include this.**

**Chapter IIX: The Hunted**

(About one month ago…)

In the deep reaches of space, a planet wavered on the edge of destruction. The planet's core had been destroyed and it was literally falling apart at the seams.

Down on the surface was a hell. The alien inhabitants could only watch in horror as their home was destroyed from the inside out. They had the technology necessary to escape, but what they did not have was the time. The attack had come out of nowhere and it would all be over within one, maybe two, minutes.

A single ship left the atmosphere, only large enough for a single inhabitant. It was a simple design that every alien race in the four galaxies recognized and feared on sight: a Saiyan Space pod.

Inside was a single Saiyan Warrior, bruised and beaten… his body crushed and nearly useless. The ship's built-in life support system was the only thing keeping him alive.

"Damnit!" The Saiyan hissed. "Not another one!" He punched in some random coordinates, just like he had been doing for the past four decades. He no longer cared where the ship took him because nowhere in the known universe was safe, not for a rogue Saiyan Warrior… or… the last Saiyan Warrior.

The Saiyan moaned and leaned back, content to listen to the sound of his pod's engines for the moment. Had it really been almost forty years since Freeza destroyed Planet Vegeta from which he narrowly escaped, but left him permanently disfigured?

Gone was his once handsome face, replaced by an unrecognizable mass of torn flesh. He couldn't even recognize himself in the mirror any more, and being constantly hunted did nothing to help with his recovery.

It seemed that, even in death, Freeza's arm was long, since his henchmen had been after him ever since. Normally, he would fight any number of Freeza's lackeys, but with his ruined body, it was almost impossible.

The thick Saiyan blood running through his veins boiled at the indignation of running like a coward, but his life, however pathetic, meant more to him at times like this than his pride.

He closed his eyes. And, as always, his mind was plagued with planets and races, destroyed one after another. The latest victim was the planet he just left.

The people there were a peaceful race who believed that even the worst of deeds could be forgiven if you showed enough repentance. They had initially shunned and tried to force him to leave their planet, having heard the many stories of Saiyan brutality. But they eventually listened to his story and had given him a safe haven.

He had lived there nearly a year, and had almost settled in to live the rest of his life there when _they_ found him. They wasted no time in turning the planet into a hell because the people harbored _the_ Saiyan traitor.

He groaned painfully as he leaned forward to engage Suspended Animation. Suspended Animation would put him in a dreamless, painless sleep; the dreamless part being the most important to the Saiyan. The Saiyan Warrior could handle pain. It was the dreams that haunted him. The past, present, and future became one in his dreams, and it was sometimes enough to drive him mad.

He felt his body begin the shutting down process as he went into Suspended Animation. Before he lost consciousness, he heard the computer calculating his possible landing place.

"Calculating possible trajectory." The computer said in a monotone. "Calculations complete. Current trajectory: Planet Earth. ETA: One month. 71.11% Water, 28.89% Land. Dominant race:…" The Saiyan Warrior lost consciousness. The computer continued on without him. "…Humans. Status: Unknown. Dispatched Saiyan infant Kakarot. Subject never retrieved. Saiyan Kakarot reported as dead and the mission a failure."

The Saiyan flinched slightly, but made no further movement.

A safe distance away, the doomed planet and its peaceful people exploded with the enormous force of its own failed core. The dying screams of several million doomed aliens fell on deaf ears. The explosion jarred the Saiyan ship slightly, but then the computer recalculated its course and shifted until it was back on course automatically. The ship disappeared into the endless night of space.

Behind, a much slower ship followed in the Saiyan's wake. A dark, shadowy figure stood on the bridge, watching the retreating ship. "Running away again? And to think my fool of a father called you Saiyan monkeys _brave_."

Another figure approached and bowed. "My Lord?"

"Is it possible to overtake the Saiyan craft?"

"No, Sire. Saiyan Space Pods are much faster than our own ship, and he's got the head start."

"Then give me a possible trajectory, you moron, instead of excuses!"

"Yes, Sire. According to our calculations, unless he changes course, he's headed for a small planet called 'E-arth'." The henchmen said, mispronouncing the name. "It is known for having one of the most diverse ecosystems in the universe and a Class 4 civilization."

"Class 4, huh?"

"Yes, Sire. They have several technological advances on the ground, but only localized spaceflight."

"Sounds like a dull, cut-off race." The leader said, nodding. "Very well, set a course from this E-arth place."

The henchman bowed again. "Yes, Sire." And then he ran off.

The mysterious leader sat down on his throne-like seat. _This is no ordinary Saiyan that I am dealing with. All the other fugitives have fallen under my assault, but not this one. He is always one step ahead and leaves a planet before I can destroy it. Is it possible that he has forewarning? Impossible. He no longer has a Scouter._

The mysterious figure snorted with laughter. "Oh well. I'll be sure to ask him… before I snap his neck!"

* * *

(One month later, AKA: The Present)

Gohan was resting peacefully now. Bulma had given him some medicine to dull the pain and help him sleep, so he was having a much better night's rest than you would expect someone with a broken tail would.

It was morning, so the rest of the Briefs family was up, and Bulma was fighting off her son from bothering Gohan.

But something was about to bother Gohan and, though they didn't know it, Goku also.

Goku sensed it first, stepping outside his house and gazing up into the sky. Chi-Chi noticed her husband's odd behavior. "Goku? What's wrong?"

"Something's headed this way." Goku said absentmindedly. "It's Saiyan… but it's not a bad energy. And it's weak."

"Saiyan? Are you sure? I thought Vegeta always said that you two were the last Saiyans alive?"

Suddenly, a voice called from inside the house. "Mommy! Daddy! I'm hungry! And where is Gohan? Why isn't he back yet?"

Chi-Chi sighed and went over to her youngest son, leaving Goku confused. _Goten doesn't sense it? Even though it is weak, he should be able to sense it. Maybe it is just in my head._

He shrugged off the feeling and decided to go back inside for breakfast.

* * *

A few minutes later, Gohan opened his eyes because he was now sensing the same thing his father had: a weak Saiyan energy approaching fast.

He tried to get up, but his tail throbbed painfully, and he collapsed onto the bed again.

Since he seemed to be incapable of movement for the moment, he flared his Ki to get Vegeta's attention. It was a common signal among the Z-Warriors.

A few minutes later, Vegeta stormed into the room. "What is it, brat? I was eating."

Gohan stared at Vegeta in confusion. "You don't sense it? I'm picking up Saiyan energy headed right for us."

"Who? Kakarot?"

"No. It's way too weak to be my dad's. There aren't many people out there who could beat my dad enough to lower his power level this much. In fact, there's only you and m, and neither of us have done anything to my dad recently."

Vegeta reluctantly agreed. He hated to admit it about a low class Saiyan, but it would take a lot more than this planet had to offer to beat Kakarot. Besides, he could still sense Kakarot at his house.

"I think you should check it out, Vegeta." Gohan said.

"Why me?"

"Well, I'd go myself, but I can't move." Gohan said. "I think a Saiyan's energy signal is worth investigating."

Vegeta sighed. "Very well, I'll go. But I'll have to wait until I sense it too." Vegeta honestly thought that he wouldn't be going anywhere. He knew that he and Kakarot were the only full-blooded Saiyans left. Every other Saiyan was accounted for, either because they were on the planet when it exploded or they later died in battle.

But then, on the edges of his senses, he found it: a very weak, but definitely, Saiyan energy. _But—but how? No other Saiyans survive! I'm sure of it!_ "Okay, I've got it. I'll go check it out."

"Thanks, Vegeta." Gohan said, going back to his rest.

Vegeta stepped out of the room and yelled, "Woman! I'm going out!" before he took off.

He could tell that the energy was coming from space, and that it would be arriving soon, and not too far away.

_This is a time that Instant Transmission would be useful._ Vegeta thought to himself. _I should really beat that technique out of Kakarot next time we spar._ Vegeta made a mental note to himself to do just that.

The place where it seemed the 'Saiyan' would land was not too far away from West City, so Vegeta made it with time to spare. But he also found out that he was not the only one there. The Namekian, Piccolo, hovered in mid-air, gazing up into the sky.

"Namek, what are you doing here?" Vegeta demanded.

"I suppose the same thing you are doing here: investigating the Saiyan Space Pod that will be landing here in a few moments." Piccolo answered.

"You think that it's Saiyan too?" Vegeta asked.

"I know that the Space Pod is Saiyan, at least." Piccolo said. "Saiyan Space Pods have a unique sound. What about you?"

"Kakarot's brat and I picked up the same thing a few minutes ago: Saiyan energy." Vegeta said.

"The 'brat' does have a name, you know." Piccolo said. "Would it kill you to use it?"

"Just because you are soft on the boy, Namek, doesn't mean I have to be." Vegeta said.

Piccolo smirked. "I forgot who I was speaking to."

Vegeta did not respond out loud. _Why does that Namekian have to butt into Saiyan business?_

They waited together in silence. But a minute later, Vegeta pointed into the sky. "There."

They could both see it now, a fiery object entering the atmosphere and crashing into the ground at high speed only two hundred feet away.

They approached together. In the center of the large impact crater was a single Saiyan Space Pod, still smoking from its violent entry.

"Vegeta, you should be the one to go. If it is a Saiyan, then they should recognize you as their prince." Piccolo said.

Vegeta was all ready floating down into the crater. It had been so long since he had been treated with proper royal respect. Kakarot thought he was a joke, and so did his mate and son…

"Are you a Saiyan?" Vegeta asked loudly in his native Saiyan language. There was no response, and Vegeta glanced into the window. "Oh, damn!"

"What is it, Vegeta?" Piccolo asked.

Vegeta opened up the pod with practiced movements and gave Piccolo a good look inside. The Namekian gasped out loud in shock.

Inside was a single man who was completely messed up, so much so that even if he was a Saiyan that Vegeta had known his whole life, he would still not be able to recognize him.

Vegeta spotted his trademark Saiyan tail. "He is definitely a Saiyan, and something… or someone… really beat him up good." Vegeta fell silent as the broken warrior stirred.

"Ugh… who's there?" The Saiyan demanded, staring blankly at Vegeta. Vegeta could tell by the look in his eyes that he was nearly blind. The Saiyan Warrior could probably detect movement, and not much else. "Where am I?"

"You are on a planet in the North Galaxy called Earth." Vegeta said. "My name is Vegeta."

"Vegeta?" The Saiyan stirred. "That was the name of my home planet, my King, and my Prince."

"I am the Saiyan Prince Vegeta."

The Warrior started. "Another Saiyan? My Prince is alive? I thought that I was the last…" The Saiyan Warrior bent at the waist with his hand in a fist over his heart in a gesture that Vegeta recognized as Saiyan fealty. But he couldn't manage it; he grunted in pain and leaned back in the seat, smiling feebly. "My Prince, forgive me."

"Yes." Vegeta said automatically. "What is your rank and name?"

"I am a Low-Class Warrior." Vegeta almost snorted with contempt. Another Low-Class Warrior? How was it that all the elites besides him were dead, and a couple of Low-Class Warriors (AKA: Kakarot) had cheated death? "My name is Bardock."

* * *

**LES: Cliffy! I'm so evil!**

**Fans: How dare you do a cliffhanger! We hate you!**

**LES: Don't worry. The next chapter is in the process of being written. So, what's going on? Is the Saiyan Warrior **_**really**_** Bardock? And, if he is, how the **_**freak**_** did he survive; and how will Goku handle all this??? Find out next time on the next exciting episode of **_**"The Truth Hurts More"**_**!!!**


	9. Bardock Alive?

**LES: (hums Twilight Zone Theme) Didn't I say many chapters ago that I wanted to add an intriguing minor character into the fic? Well, tada! At first, I was going to give Bardock a 'he's-dead-but-still-important' role. But then I thought "To hell with this" and made him alive. Bardock does intrigue me. He's the one character who can't even figure out who he is.**

**Funimation Bardock: I'm a Low-Class Saiyan who happens to be the father of the main character. But I'm actually horribly insignificant.**

**Ocean Dub Bardock: I am a **_**brilliant **_**scientist!**

**Special Bardock: I'm a psychic!**

**LES: I'm going to go with #3, cause #1 is boring and #2 is… well… retarded. And I don't know the Japanese or manga version of Bardock, cause I've never watched the series is Japanese, and I've never read the manga. But that's gonna change soon. (Just ordered DB Manga Vol. 1 from Amazon)**

**Muse: You've never read the manga?!? And you call yourself a fan!**

**LES: I HAVE read the manga a little. It's just that I was had to read what my old High School library had, and they didn't have the whole series. They only have the start of Dragon Ball Z, and defiantly not the whole series. But now that I have a job, I can afford to buy all the manga I want.**

**Muse: Loser.**

**Chapter IX: Bardock Alive?!?**

Vegeta stared at the Saiyan in shock, having recognized his name almost instantly. Back before planet Vegeta had blown up; Bardock had been a joke among the Elites. He was famous for overstepping his boundaries and acting like an Elite when he really was a Low-Class Saiyan Warrior. He pushed the power of Saiyan recovery to its limits, coming back from his missions half-dead and growing stronger because of it.

Vegeta knew a bit about Bardock because of the time he spent with his eldest son, Radditz. Radditz did not speak about his father too often because they had become estranged. Vegeta didn't blame him because it was common practice. Radditz was a First-Class Warrior born into a Low-Class family, and those in similar situations often distanced themselves from their families.

But, more importantly, Vegeta knew Bardock's youngest son quite well. It was none other than Kakarot, the thorn-in-his-side.

But, from what he heard, Bardock had been killed when Freeza destroyed their home planet. How was it possible that he was alive?

"My Lord Prince, are you going to continue staring at me? I require medical attention." Bardock, or the one who claimed to be Bardock, spoke.

"Of course. Namek, get over here and help." Vegeta called, using the outer controls to shut the pod and turn the life-support system back on.

"Wouldn't it be easier to carry him without the pod?" Piccolo asked, floating down into the crater to help.

Vegeta began to picked up the whole pod and Piccolo helped him. "He's pretty beaten up, and Saiyan Space Pods come with a built-in life-support system. It will keep him alive until we get back to the woman. If we tried to carry him, he'd die before we got there."

As they began to fly back to Capsule Corp, carrying the pod between them, Piccolo began to focus on darker thoughts. _Saiyans are a very resilient race. I've seen Goku and Vegeta shrug off injuries that would kill a human._ He recalled the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai when he blasted Goku through the chest. Goku had managed to get back up on his feet, laugh, and taunt him that he had missed all of his vital organs. _Still, vital organs or not, a human would not be able to stand after an attack like that. I'd hate to meet the being who could mess up a Saiyan this good._

And then there was Vegeta's thoughtful silence to consider. In the time he had known the Saiyan Prince, he had never thought of him as the 'thoughtful' type. "Hey, Vegeta, do you know this Saiyan?" Piccolo asked.

"By reputation, but not personally." Vegeta said, and then he quickly explained to Piccolo the reputation the Bardock had on planet Vegeta.

"So, he's a Low-Class Warrior who takes on challenges bigger than himself? Sounds like Goku." Piccolo laughed.

_You have no idea._ "There's another thing. You've killed both of his sons." Vegeta said.

"But… the only Saiyans I've ever killed were Radditz and…" Piccolo trailed off. "Is it possible?"

"It's possible that he's lying about who he is." Vegeta said. "But, I did notice a familiarity about him. If his story is true, then he is Kakarot's father."

Piccolo fell silent for a few seconds. "Goku's father?"

"That's what I just said." Vegeta said.

"Should I go get Goku?" Piccolo asked.

"No." Vegeta said. "Take my advice. As a Saiyan, it is hard to get used to Kakarot's… unique personality. If I were in his position, meeting Kakarot without any warning as to his oddity would be distressing. We need to prepare him first."

Piccolo shrugged. "I guess I'll have to trust you, Vegeta. I don't know much about father/son relationships, since I never knew my own father."

"You're damn right." Vegeta growled, and then he grew silent. _Damnit, this is just what I need!_

* * *

Vegeta and Piccolo made it back to Capsule Corporation within a few minutes.

"So, what now?" Piccolo asked.

"We get him healed." Vegeta said simply. "A Saiyan recovery pod would be able to fix all this within a few hours, but humans don't have that sort of technology, and I don't know how to make one. So, I'd say those bean things would be our best bet."

"Will it work?" Piccolo asked. "Even the Sensu beans have a limit. If these wounds are more than a few days old, the Sensu beans will do nothing." He trailed off thoughtfully. "What about Dende?"

Vegeta almost slapped himself on the forehead. _Of course! That Namekian runt has healing powers!_ "Fine, Namek. The Sensu beans will be a last resort. A bean might not restore him completely, but might save his life. Can you go get the runt, Namek?"

"All ready done." Piccolo said. "You forget that Dende is Earth's Guardian now, and as such, is able to read the minds of any that call to him."

"Oh yeah."

They did not have to wait long. Dende, Earth's Namekian Guardian, appeared in a flash of golden light. Ne was a young Namekian, a teenager by most standards, but he was all ready wise beyond his years. "Hello, Piccolo. Good morning, Vegeta. What seems to be the problem?"

"Do you think it would be possible to heal the Saiyan in this pod?" Piccolo asked, pointing to the pod in question.

Dende took a glance at the pod. His expression changed from curiosity to confusion. "Are you sure that's a Saiyan in there?"

"What? Of course I'm sure! Do you think that I wouldn't recognize a member of my own race?" Vegeta demanded.

"I'm not questioning you, Vegeta. Of course you'd be able to tell the difference between Saiyans and other races. I'm simply trying to say that I've never encountered a Saiyan whose mind worked like this. An enormous amount of his power is being redirected to a certain portion of his mind that Saiyans on most cases never use."

"Even Kakarot?"

"Goku?" Dende clarified. "No, even Goku's brain is more Saiyan than this. On a fundamental level, Goku is just as Saiyan as you are. His love of battle, his drive to get stronger, and genius battle techniques are proof that his brain works just like a Saiyan's. But this one's brain is different. The drive to battle and to be stronger are still there… but it's not nearly as important anymore."

"We can clarify all this when he's healed." Piccolo said. "Can you do it?"

Dende considered. "Like most Saiyans, this one did many terrible things in Freeza's name." The young Guardian paused. "But I also sense a deep remorse within him. It should work. Bring him out of the pod, please."

Vegeta opened the pod and Piccolo pulled the wounded Warrior out.

Dende knelt before him, hands held out over him. Both he and the one who called himself Bardock began to glow as the healing began. The worst wounds sealed themselves first, followed by layer upon layer of scar tissue.

As the Warrior's original appearance returned, both Piccolo and Vegeta's jaws dropped.

Dende finished the healing and looked up at the other two. "Is there something you didn't tell me about this Saiyan?"

Before them lay a mirror image of Goku.

Vegeta turned away. There seemed to be no doubt. So far, it seemed that this Saiyan was exactly who he claimed to be: Bardock, a joke among Elites and father of Kakarot.

"The resemblance is too strong to be a coincidence." Piccolo commented. "This Saiyan really is Goku's biological father."

"Really?" Dende gasped. "As in his actual father? But he looks so young! He should be at least sixty!"

"Actually, he closer to eighty." Vegeta said. "Radditz once mentioned in passing that his father was nineteen when he was born, and Kakarot wasn't born until Radditz was fully grown. He'll be youthful for several more decades."

"His age is irrelevant." Piccolo said. "The real question is what are we going to do now?"

Vegeta shrugged. "The woman's place is big enough."

"Good. But what are we going to do about Goku? I'm sure that he's all ready sensed that a Saiyan is on Earth." Piccolo said. "I'm surprised that he's not here all ready."

"Well, the better for us." Vegeta said. "We should try to get everyone up to speed as soon as possible. But we'll have to keep Kakarot out of this as long as possible. Hey, Namekian brat, can you make him stay asleep until we figure all this out?"

"Sure, Vegeta." Dende said, nodding.

"Gohan's on his way." Piccolo said suddenly.

"What?!? That brat shouldn't even be able to move!" Vegeta growled. "Namek, you head him off!"

Piccolo took off instantly, heading towards Gohan's Ki.

Piccolo instantly knew that something was wrong with Gohan. First of all, Vegeta had said that he shouldn't be able to move. Secondly, Gohan wasn't at school. And third, Gohan was hovering just above the ground, winching painfully.

The teenager looked up. "Oh, hello, Piccolo."

"What happened, Gohan? Did something attack you?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah, a classmate." Gohan said. "My tail grew back on the last full moon, and a classmate saw it and stepped on it. Broke my tail. So, did you see it, Piccolo? Is it a Saiyan?"

"Vegeta and I have it handled." Piccolo said calmly. "You should go rest. I remember how sensitive your Saiyan tails can be."

"Are you sure? The Saiyan's power level took a jump a while ago."

"It's still not a threat." Piccolo said. "And we still haven't decided if this Saiyan is a threat at all."

"Okay, Piccolo. I trust your judgment." Gohan said.

Piccolo let a rare smile appear on his face. Well, damn it all if he didn't have a bit of a soft spot for the young demi-Saiyan. He had watched Gohan grow up from a cry-baby four-year old who was afraid of everything including his own shadow into a promising young Warrior.

"Don't worry about me and Vegeta. We can handle this." Piccolo said.

"I'm not worried about you two so much as I'm worried about the Saiyan if he gets on your bad side." Gohan chuckled, and he began to float back to his room.

Piccolo instantly headed back to Vegeta and saw that he had coerced Dende into carrying Bardock with his powers into the Capsule Corp. building.

"You know, you could have carried him just as easily." Piccolo pointed out, landing next to Vegeta.

"What for? He can do it too, _and_ I'm the Prince of all Saiyans." Vegeta said.

"Damnit, give him to me, Dende!" Piccolo grabbed the Saiyan and threw him over his shoulder. Together, they went inside the building.

They took him to an unoccupied room, nearly being way-laid by Trunks along the way.

"Hey, Father! Who's that? Kinda looks like Gohan and Goten's dad! Who is it? Is he a Saiyan? I thought you said all the Saiyans were dead…"

"Damnit, Trunks! Go away!" Vegeta roared, kicking his son out of the way.

Trunks, thanks to the hard head that he inherited from his father, was mostly unharmed. But he still clutched his stomach, where his father had kicked him, and his head, which had hit the wall on impact. "Ow! Fine! Be that way!" He stalked off for a phone, a newer model of his mother's that allowed the users to both talk and see each other at the same time. It was still in beta, so only Bulma and their friends had one; which included the Sons. He quickly dialed Goten's number and waited.

Chi-Chi answered. "Oh, hello, Trunks. Let me guess, you want to talk to Goten?"

"Yeah. Can you put him on?" Trunks asked.

"Yes, I can. Wait a moment; I think he's outside training with Goku." Chi-Chi moved away from the phone, calling her youngest son. "Goten! GOTEN! Trunks is on the phone!"

Trunks only had to wait a few moments before Goten appeared on the screen. "Hey, Trunks! How're you?"

"Listen, Goten." Trunks began seriously. "My Father just brought some guy to my house, but he looked a _lot_ like your dad."

"Huh? Really?" Goten asked.

"Yeah. He's tanner than your dad, and he has a big ol' scar on his face, but other than that, they look alike."

"Really? Daddy! Hey, Daddy! Trunks said there's someone at his house who looks like you!" Goten yelled, causing Trunks to wince.

Goku came into the house. "What was that, Goten?"

"Trunks said there's someone at his house that looks like you." Goten repeated. "Do you have a twin, Daddy?"

"No." Goku said. "Someone who looked like me, huh? Could this have something to do with the Saiyan energy I'm picking up? How much did he look like me, Trunks?"

"Just like you except he had a darker tan and a scar on his face." Trunks answered.

_Maybe Gohan knows something about this._ Goku thought to himself. "Okay, I'm going to see Gohan…"

"What? Did you say you're going to see Gohan, Goku?" Chi-Chi called from the kitchen. Trunks quickly hung up, sensing the Chi-Chi was going to have one of her crazy fits like when she pressured Gohan about giving her grandkids.

Goku flinched, sensing the same thing. Unfortunately, he couldn't just 'hang up'. "Um… yes."

"Good. Then you can take him his homework for the week." Chi-Chi said, carrying a massive stack of books that she could barely carry. She dumped the stack in her husband's arms, and they nearly fell all over the floor before he regained his balance.

"This… is _one_ week's worth of homework?" Goku asked in shock.

"Of course." Chi-Chi said. "Now, go, quickly!"

"I'm going!" Goku assured her and Instant Transmissioned away.

* * *

"Okay, wake him up, Dende." Vegeta ordered once they got the Saiyan to a private room.

Dende nodded and released Bardock from his powers, allowing him to wake up.

The Saiyan Warrior slowly came to, his eyes still closed. He probably still thought he was half-blind. "What… what happened? Where am I now?"

"We brought you to my residence on Earth, and we healed you… almost completely." Vegeta answered.

"I can feel it. My body works again." Bardock paused. "And my mind too. My thanks to you, Dende, Guardian of Earth."

The silence in the room was stifling. How did Bardock know about Dende? "How do you know about that Namekian brat?" Vegeta demanded. "You haven't even seen him yet, let alone heard us talking about him!"

"I know a lot of things." Bardock said. "Now that my mind is clear, I can see again. I know that my son Radditz is dead, and the silent Namekian over there was the one who killed him. I know that you're trying to hide the fact that my youngest son, Kakarot, is alive and on this planet." Vegeta stared in shock. "I knew about my son's 'oddity', as you put it, long before you ever did. I know that you and my son are the only full Saiyans on this planet and that you have one half-breed son… and your mate is pregnant with another half-breed. And my son has two half-breed sons named Gohan and Goten who…"

"Hold on!" Vegeta began. "You _might_ have heard up talking about some of that stuff, but we've never talked about our mates or children!" Vegeta grabbed the front of Bardock's armor violently. "How the hell do you know all that?!?"

Bardock finally opened his eyes. His eyes were just like Kakarot's too. "Ever hear about the planet Kanassa?"

"A little." Vegeta said. "It was one of Freeza's conquests. Living there was supposed to give you physic powers. Freeza lived there for several months and he gained nothing. A foolish fairytale."

"Freeza was the foolish one. Is was the people of Kanassa that granted physic powers, not the land."

Everyone in the room stared at him. "Did you gain those physic powers?" Piccolo asked. It would certainly explain why the Warrior knew so much about them.

"The Kanassans meant it as a curse… revenge on me for destroying their people. They had foreseen their destruction, and wished for me to foresee the destruction of my own planet." Bardock said. "It worked. I learned that, even with forewarning, I could not change the fate of planet Vegeta. Freeza destroyed it, just as I foresaw."

"So… to get all this information, you read my mind?" Vegeta asked.

"Mostly. When I first gained my powers, I saw glimpses of my son's future, and I saw how different he would be from other Saiyans. But I also foresaw how strong he would become." Bardock smirked. "My son… defeated Freeza, so I am proud of him."

Both Piccolo and Vegeta flinched at the same time, because they suddenly felt Goku's energy with Gohan. "Goku is here. I guess he finally decided to come investigate the Saiyan energy."

"Go get him." Vegeta said. "But tell him about this first." Piccolo nodded and left.

"My son?" Bardock asked.

"He's here now." Vegeta commented. "The Namek went to get him."

Bardock stood up and began to stretch. It irked Vegeta to see that, just like Kakarot, Bardock was taller than him. He seemed to be testing out his newly renewed body. "I know you don't really care about what I have to say, but my son was born with a Power Level of two. No one thought he would amount to anything… doomed to obscurity in the Saiyan army. Even I thought this. But… my son, Kakarot, my Low-Class son… a Super Saiyan!"

"I'm a Super Saiyan too." Vegeta said.

"I know. But Kakarot achieved the state first and he's my son, so forgive an old Warrior for favoring his son."

Vegeta grunted. He'd probably feel the same way about Trunks were he in his place.

* * *

**LES: I'm going to go ahead and end it there. I know I promised to reveal how Bardock survived in this chapter, but it was getting too long. Next chapter, though. I promise.**


	10. Father and Son

**Chapter X: Father and Son**

Goku rematerialized in Gohan's private room at Capsule Corp, nearly losing his grip on the stack of homework that he was carrying. "Whoa!" He quickly regained his balance just before the books toppled.

"Oh. Hi, Dad." Gohan said, glancing up at his father's entrance. He saw the stack of books that burdened his father. "Let me guess… homework?"

"Yep. Your mother and I went and got it yesterday." Goku said, setting the stack down on a nearby table. Gohan could have sworn the table groaned under the weight of his textbooks. "Your mother said to finish it all or else, but just between you and me, I want you to concentrate on getting better for a while." Goku sat down in one of the chairs supplied in the room. "How are you feeling today, son?"

"A bit better." Gohan said. "I can all ready feel my body trying to fix it. I was even able to move around a little this morning." The teenager said proudly.

"Gohan, did you happen to sense anything… unusual this morning?" Goku asked.

"You mean the Saiyan?" Gohan asked. "Yeah, I felt it. I told Vegeta about it, he ran into Piccolo when he went to check it out, and they're taking care of it."

"I guess it wasn't my imagination after all." Goku commented. "I thought it was in my head because Goten didn't sense it."

"Dad, I haven't taught Goten long enough for him to master Ki sensing. He knows enough to follow his opponent's movements in close-quarters combat, but I doubt he could sense anything in space." Gohan confessed.

Goku laughed, scratching the back of his neck in typical Son fashion. "Opps. That explains it."

Gohan didn't blame his father for being unaware of what Goten could and could not do. Heck, a few weeks ago, Gohan didn't even know that his younger brother could fight or turn into a Super Saiyan. Goten was surprising all of them.

"Gohan, do you know anything about this Saiyan? Have you seen him?"

"No." Gohan answered. "I tried to go check it out when Vegeta and Piccolo brought the Saiyan back here to Capsule Corp, but Piccolo said they had it under control."

"Hmm… Trunks called us a minute ago, and he said that he saw the Saiyan." Goku said thoughtfully.

"Really? What did he say?" Gohan asked.

"He said the Saiyan looked like me." Goku said.

"Really?"

Before Goku could reply, Piccolo came into the room. "So, Goku, you've finally decided that this situation was worth checking out?" Goku laughed. "No matter. If you had shown up right away, Vegeta would probably be having an even worse day than he is now."

"But, I thought you and Vegeta had it under control?" Gohan asked.

"The Saiyan isn't violent." Piccolo said. "But I'll bet Vegeta wishes he was. You know that Vegeta hates complex situations in which he cannot fight. I'll bet he'd rather blast this Saiyan into a thousand pieces than deal with the trouble that his presence has caused us."

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the Saiyan alone with Vegeta, then?" Gohan asked.

"I think it will be fine. The Saiyan would probably know about Vegeta's attack before Vegeta could even think about attacking."

"But… no one's that fast!" Goku said firmly.

"Yeah." Gohan agreed. "No matter how fast you are, you have to wait and see what your opponent is doing before you react. The only way you could act before your opponent thinks is if you could see the future…" Gohan trailed off.

"The Saiyan does appear to have that ability, yes." Piccolo said. "But the situation is much complex than simply that. It goes beyond the Saiyan's strange abilities, but rather who the Saiyan claims to be. Goku…" Piccolo paused, glancing at the older Saiyan in the room. "He claims that his name is Bardock."

That literally floored the Saiyan. His legs failed him and he collapsed to the floor. He knew the name Bardock very well, having heard it from every Saiyan he ever met. When a Saiyan didn't call him Kakarot, they called him Bardock's son. _Could it be?_ Goku wondered. _Could the Saiyan I sensed really be my father?_

It took Gohan a little longer to place the name than his father, but when he did, he gasped out loud. _My Saiyan Grandfather, my Dad's father, is alive? How is that possible?_

Piccolo gave Goku a moment. "I suppose you recognize the name too. Vegeta recognized it right away."

"Yeah, I do. Bardock was my father's name." Goku said, still in shock.

"That's what Vegeta said." Piccolo said.

"And Trunks said that the Saiyan looked like me…"

"The resemblance is uncanny." Piccolo said. "At this time, I'd say that he's telling the truth about who he is."

Goku slowly stood up. "I have to go." He said. "I have to see him with my own eyes."

"I figured you would." Piccolo said, noticing that the Saiyan was a little unsteady on his feet. He hadn't seen Goku like this since Master Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha got him drunk at the celebratory 'Majin Buu is defeated and Goku is alive' party. Needless to say, Piccolo never thought he'd see Goku acting almost exactly like Vegeta. One thing was for sure: Saiyans were angry drunks, and both Vegeta and Goku were forbidden from getting drunk at future events. "Goku, do you need some help?"

"No, I've got it." Goku said, suddenly finding his balance again. "Let's go."

"Dad, I'll come with…" Gohan said, starting to push himself up off the bed with a pained hiss.

"No, Gohan." Goku said, and Gohan froze. He hadn't seen _that_ look on his father's face since he first turned into a Super Saiyan and ordered him off Planet Namek. His father, whose parental strategies were normally so laid back, was wearing a look that demanded obedience. "Gohan, I know that you are excited about the possibility of meeting your Saiyan grandfather. But you are not well enough to be moving around and besides… he's my father…"

Gohan nodded in understanding after a moment. If he were in his father's place, he'd probably feel the same way. It was why he let Goten, who normally clung to his leg, to be with their father so often. Goten had never known Goku like he knew his older brother or how Gohan knew their father. "Okay, Dad."

Goku gave his son a reassuring smile, and then nodded at Piccolo. Together, they walked out of the room.

"Piccolo, what do you think?" Goku asked once they got out of Gohan's ear-shot.

"I'd say that he is exactly who he says he is." Piccolo said. "But the question remains… how did he survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta? Vegeta says that it is impossible and I'd have to agree with him. I'll ask Dende to talk to the Kais and see if they know anything about this."

"My father…" Goku pondered. "Like any orphaned child, I _did_ wonder where my parents were, and why they abandoned me in the middle of the woods as a baby. When I found out about the Saiyans, I learned the 'why' but not the 'who'. I never thought I'd meet my father."

Piccolo did not know how to respond, so he maintained his silence. Piccolo paused outside The Door. "Take your time, Goku."

The Saiyan didn't seem to need a lot of time. He paused in his stride for a few seconds, took a breath, and then opened the door.

Inside the room, both Vegeta and Bardock looked around at the door as it opened.

For almost a full minute, Goku remained frozen in the doorway as he and Bardock stared at each other.

Finally, Bardock spoke. "Kakarot… it really is you…" He moved over to his son, but seemed unsure of what to do once he got there. A few seconds passed, and then Bardock pulled the younger Saiyan into an embrace. "My son, I am so glad to see you alive and well."

"Father, I…" Goku began, but the words got caught in his throat. He couldn't even find the right words. Nothing seemed right for this situation, so he simply returned his father's embrace.

Vegeta nearly contained a snort of disgust. Even when he was a child living with his family in the Palace on Planet Vegeta, his father never showed him such affection. It was impossible for the King of Saiyans to show any tenderness, even for his family. Any sign of weakness would cause an uprising and mutiny.

Even in a normal Saiyan family, members cared about each other from a distance. Displays of affection were usually only between mates, not between parents and children, or siblings.

_But, I suppose none of Kakarot's family is normal._ Vegeta thought to himself. But all this mush was starting to make him sick, so he quickly left. Piccolo left with him, but for the more noble reason of giving Goku and his father some space.

Bardock released Goku. "You are… really my father?" Goku asked.

"You _are_ Kakarot, aren't you?" Bardock asked. "The only time I ever saw you was when you were an infant, but I knew your name and that you inherited your looks from me." Bardock paused. "I am really proud of you, Kakarot. Most Saiyans would not have been able to survive being marooned on a strange planet for long. But you managed to not only survive, but thrive. I've heard that you've found yourself a mate and have your own sons."

"Father, how did you manage to survive Vegeta's explosion?" Goku asked. "Vegeta's always said that you were on the planet when it exploded."

Bardock sighed. "There wasn't a lot of time. I had tried to stop Freeza, but I had failed. I was badly wounded, almost half-dead. Planet Vegeta did not blow up right away, but I only had about a minute. I was able to find a Space Pod, but there was no time left. I took off, but I knew that I would not clear the planet's explosion in time. I had barely cleared the atmosphere when it happened. The planet exploded. All that I can remember is a blinding flash of light that ruined my eyes, a lot of heat that destroyed my skin, and then… I was suddenly halfway across the universe."

"What?" Goku asked.

"I can't be sure what happened either." Bardock said. "I was blind and in a lot of pain. Perhaps the explosion opened up a small Wormhole, or maybe I got saved by another race… I can't be sure. But the point was, I was alive. I was on the brink of death, but I was still alive. I've been on the run ever since."

"On the run? From what?" Goku asked.

Bardock shook his head. "It's not important right now. What is important is right here. Well, Kakarot, let's see."

"See what?"

"My son is a Super Saiyan. I want to see if for myself."

Goku nodded in understanding. "Oh, okay." Goku did a quick power-up which happened almost instantly. His hair turned golden and stuck up, becoming even more gravity-defying than before. His black eyes turned into a glowing turquoise.

Back in the days when he was still learning how to control his Super Saiyan powers, he would have destroyed the whole building with the untamed force of his spontaneous transformations. But, thankfully, he had the control over his power output to avoid doing that since he knew Bulma would have his head if he blew up one of her buildings.

She forgave Vegeta all the time for similar infractions because he was her mate, but Goku knew he would get no special treatment from the woman who was like his sister.

Goku looked over at his father, who was staring at him in awe. "The power that defeated Freeza…" He whispered. "If I recall the legend correctly, the Legendary Super Saiyan could only unleash his full powers once he had transformed into an Oozaru. But I suppose that your body had to adapt for the transformation since you no longer have a tail."

"I suppose." Goku said. "My tail's been gone for so long that I don't really miss it much."

"How long can you maintain that state?" Bardock asked.

"I've learned how to maintain this form all of the time except when I sleep." Goku said. "It really came in useful."

"How many others can do it?" Bardock asked.

"Uh… pretty much all of us." Goku said. "Vegeta can, and so can our sons. For each child that is born, the transformation seems to get easier."

"Easier? Your half-Saiyan sons had an easy time transforming?" Bardock asked.

"Yeah. My oldest, Gohan, transformed when he was eleven. Vegeta's son transformed when he was seven. And my youngest son doesn't even remember when he transformed. It's possible that he first did it when he was five or younger."

"Amazing!" Bardock gasped. "I never would have thought the Super Saiyan transformation would one day be so easily achieved!"

"From what Bulma… um… Vegeta's mate says, every Saiyan has the potential to transform into a Super Saiyan and its different levels. All that a Saiyan needs is to have a high enough power level and be in the right situation to trigger the transformation."

"Amazing." Bardock said, and then shook his head. "This can all wait until later. I'm eager to meet your mate and sons."

"Oh. Well, Gohan's here. He's recovering from an… accident that broke his tail." Goku said.

"Tail? A half-breed with a tail?" Bardock asked, adjusting his own tail around his waist.

"The only one born so far." Goku said. "I'm really proud of Gohan. He's become quite the Warrior, and more powerful than I am. And he's only eighteen."

"More powerful than a Super Saiyan?" Bardock gasped in surprise. "Incredible!"

Goku shrugged. "No one knows why mine and Vegeta's half-Saiyan children are so much stronger than us. They just are. Ever since Gohan was a child, he's been keeping up with and surpassing the rest of us."

"That's amazing! A child with the strength of an adult!" Bardock said. "Well, Kakarot, lead the way."

Goku nodded. "Sure. Gohan really wanted to come and meet you." He said, leading his father out of the room and back in the direction he had come from.

"Are you okay with me calling you 'Kakarot', or would you prefer your Earthling name?" Bardock asked.

Goku shrugged. "I don't really mind so much anymore. My family and most of my friends call me Goku, but I'm more than used to being called Kakarot. You can use Kakarot, if you want."

Bardock nodded, somewhat relieved. As a father, calling his son by a name other than his birth name would make the fact that he really is his son seem unreal. He wanted to call him Kakarot as a reminder that his youngest son had been found alive and well. Bardock also felt the pain that came along with the knowledge of his eldest son's death. He was not very close to Radditz, but the First-Class Saiyan was still his son. His greatest consolation was that Radditz had died in battle, as was every Saiyan's dream. Thinking about that always made it easier for Saiyan parents to accept their children's deaths.

Bardock sighed. There was nothing to be done for Radditz now. And he still had Kakarot, his Super Saiyan son, who he could not be more proud of.

Bardock was quite impressed with the size of the complex they were in. Planet Vegeta had been heavily populated, both by Saiyans and alien servants, so there was no room for any Saiyan family aside from the Royal family to have a large estate. "Where are we? Is this your estate, Kakarot?"

Goku laughed, a sound that shocked Bardock. Sure, Saiyan laughed, but mostly in a reserved manner. Kakarot's laugh was 'no-holds-barred-full-bodied' laughter. _It must be a good life to live outside the influences of being a cold-blooded Saiyan Warrior._ "No." Goku continued to laugh. "I live in a small house out in the country with just my mate and sons. Capsule Corp. is owned by Vegeta's mate."

"Prince Vegeta's mate must be pretty wealthy." Bardock commented.

"She is. Her family is the wealthiest family on Earth." Goku said. He paused outside a door. "Gohan all ready knows we're out here. Might as well go in." Goku commented.

Bardock hesitated, nodded, and opened the door.

**LES: Holy crap, another cliff-hanger! Well, at least I told the story about Bardock's escape. Personally, I prefer the Wormhole idea. Wormholes are theoretical and not fully understood. They've shown in the later portion of the series that if you are strong enough, you can blast a hole through space-time. I imagine that the combination of Freeza's power, the planet's own energy, and the energy of a couple million Saiyans and aliens being released at once would be sufficient to punch a hole in the universe.**


	11. Meet the InLaws

**LES: Perhaps the scariest part about a new relationship… Except Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship isn't new. Oh well, pay-back time. Goku probably had to jump through hoops to please the Ox-King. Now it's Chi-Chi's turn.**

**Muse: What do you know about In-Laws? You don't have any!**

**LES: I learned about In-Laws from the same place I learn about all the things I don't know about: movies, books, and other people's fanfiction.**

**Muse: (face-palm) You're hopeless.**

**LES: (inmates Son Grin) I know!**

* * *

**Chapter XI: Meet the In-Laws**

Bardock stepped into the room and saw his grandson for the first time.

The young demi-Saiyan pushed himself up off the bed, wincing in pain. _Kakarot was right. He is obviously injured. A tail injury. That is the only non-fatal injury that could put a Saiyan down for the count like this._

Bardock could look into Gohan's mind and see his past experiences, and the inner turmoil of a boy who was expected to walk down two different paths by his parents. Gohan's human mother had urged him all of his life to follow the path on the academic and exercise his brain rather than his muscles. But his father, like any Saiyan father, wanted his son to be a Warrior, and so had trained him and put him into as many battles as he could.

Both parents had gotten what they wanted to a degree. Bardock could sense amazing strength and intelligence within his grandson. And he could also sense the urge to get both stronger and smarter. But now he was torn between two different destinies, and he felt that in order to pursue one, he'd have to give up the other.

This shocked Bardock a little. For Saiyans, there was no option. Every Saiyan, whether weak or powerful, male or female, poor or wealthy, was a Warrior. Only in the unlikely chance that a Saiyan lived long enough to grow old were they allowed to follow other career paths. But most stayed in the Saiyan military as teachers to the young cadets.

He also saw that the young demi-Saiyan was falling in love, and would soon be ready for the bonding ceremony. But he was unsure how or even if he should proceed with what his Saiyan instincts were telling him to do.

Gohan got up as much as he could. "Grandfather!"

"Don't worry. You're path will soon be clear to you." Bardock said suddenly.

Goku and Gohan stared at the older Saiyan in shock. "What?" Gohan asked.

"Consider it a grandfatherly piece of advice to make up for my absence." Bardock said. "I can sense the inner turmoil boiling within you. You've reached this point in your life, but you don't know what to do next. But your path will soon be clear to you."

"Piccolo said you had physic powers." Gohan said.

Bardock nodded. "I do." He said. "I looked into your memories and saw your mind, and caught a glimpse of your future."

"Well, can you look again and tell me what my path is?" Gohan asked excitedly.

Bardock shock his head. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't work like that. I can read someone's mind whenever I want, but I can't look into the future whenever it pleases me. That happens beyond my control."

"Oh… okay…" Gohan said, looking disappointed. "I'm still really glad to have met you, Grandfather. I never thought this would happen."

"Me too, boy." Bardock said. "Forty years is a long time, even by Saiyan standards." The older Saiyan turned towards his son. "So, what about this mate of yours, Kakarot? I'm curious to meet the Earthling woman that could capture a Saiyan heart."

Goku laughed again. "She certainly did." He glanced at his son. "Are you going to be all right here, son?"

"Sure. Tell mom that I'll do my homework."

"Okay." Goku said, nodding.

Bardock began to walk out of the room. "Well, are we going?"

"But I've got a much faster way of travelling." Goku said.

"Faster than flight?"

"The speed of light."

"How? How could someone be that fast?" Bardock asked.

"A technique that I learned on a planet called Yardrat after my fight with Freeza. The people were pretty weak, but they knew some amazing techniques. One of them was the Instant Transmission. It allows me to travel towards anyone I can sense at the speed of light."

"Amazing! You know, we Saiyans never took the time to learn from other races."

"I was always fine with it. I know a lot of human techniques, some Saiyan ones, Yardrat's Instant Transmission, and the Fusion Technique."

"You know the Fusion technique?" Bardock asked. "I've heard rumors about a technique that allowed two warriors to become one. You have used it?"

"Just once." Goku answered. (A/N: Remember, the movies are canon, and I'm not counting the Prota Earrings fusion.) "I fused with Vegeta. It's an unusual feeling. It's like I was me, but I wasn't at the same time."

"Interesting." Bardock said. "Well, then, let's go."

"Okay, just grab a hold of me, and we'll be on our way." Goku said.

Once Bardock grabbed his son's shoulder, Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and began to seek out the energy of his wife and son. He pin-pointed Chi-Chi's location and they disappeared with a flash.

* * *

Back at the Son household, Chi-Chi was busy washing the multitude of dishes that her family went through in a single meal.

She sighed. If only she could use paper plates, clean up would be so much easier. But she couldn't, based on the one time she _had_ used paper plates.

* * *

_It was soon before the Cell Games, and Chi-Chi had just set out her family's lunch with a smile. "Enjoy." She said, knowing her Saiyan boys wouldn't notice that the lunch wasn't being served on her usual china. Those boys were going through her dishes so quickly now that they were home all the time instead of training that she had no china left for lunch._

_It was no problem. She would do the dishes this afternoon, and she'd make do with paper plates for now._

_She smiled happily as Goku and Gohan, both in their Super Saiyan forms, began to eat. But something was missing… she had forgotten the vat of rice in the kitchen._

_She excused herself and got up to get the rice. When she returned, she noticed something odd. Goku and Gohan had finished off their first course and were now eating directly out of her serving bowls. Chi-Chi opened her mouth to yell at them that they were not allowed to eat out of her serving bowls when she noticed that both of their plates were gone._

_"Goku?" She asked loudly to get his attention, and he glanced up at her, swallowing a mouthful of food. "Where are your plates?"_

_Goku glanced at Gohan, who shrugged. "Uh… Chi-Chi, what plates?"_

_Chi-Chi stared at her husband and son in shock. _Did they… actually eat the plates… without knowing it?!?_ She fainted._

* * *

So, that was why Chi-Chi never used paper plates. Saiyans ate so quickly that if they could chew it, it was food, including paper plates.

Chi-Chi wanted to be upset at her alien family for being aliens and making her life harder, but she could never be mad at her husband and sons for too long.

Goku could certainly piss her off on numerous occasions, but she could never stay mad at him. What could she do? She loved that sweet and sometimes infuriating man.

And Gohan… he had become the intelligent young man that she dreamed he'd be: strong and intelligent, with his father's handsome features and inner strength. But Gohan was not perfect. When he was younger, he was quite rebellious, especially after the time he spent training with Piccolo. He did study as she wanted, but he didn't give in without a fight. Gohan had also inherited the 'Hero' gene from his father. If lives were at stack, and either of them had a single breath left in their bodies, they would fight to preserve the greater good, and nothing else mattered. It drove Chi-Chi crazy with worry at the thought that Gohan, like Goku often did, would bite off more than he could chew and get seriously injured or killed.

And Goten… so like his father… Goten had his father's looks down to a tee, but he also had Goku's naivety and lacked his older brother's brain power. She sometimes wished that Goten would apply himself more, but she couldn't blame that entirely on the boy. He only acted just as his father did when he was a boy.

Suddenly, a voice pulled her out of her thoughts, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin. "Hi, Chi-Chi!"

_Add that to the list of things Goku does that makes me wanna kill him again._ "Goku! How many times have I told you not to Instant Transmission behind…" She froze. The first man she saw was _not_ her husband! Sure, the intruder looked like her husband with a few differences. And her husband was standing beside the man, only serving to emphasize how much they looked alike. She wondered for a crazy moment that if, like Trunks, Goten had a Mirai form, and this man was it.

_But that can't be right._ Chi-Chi thought, looking this stranger up and down. _This guy has a tail, and Goten was born without a tail. He can't be an alternate time line Goten. _"Goku, who is this?" She asked.

Goku noticed that Chi-Chi's hand was resting on the handle of her infamous frying pan. He flinched. He knew that if his answer did not satisfy her, they'd both get the stuffing beaten out of them by Chi-Chi.

"Chi-Chi, I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but this is Bardock, my biological father."

Chi-Chi did not reply right away, only stared at the older Saiyan male. And just when the silence began to grow uncomfortable, Chi-Chi spoke. "How old are you?"

Bardock stared at her. "Almost eighty."

Chi-Chi burst into tears. "It's not fair! My husband will still look young in forty years, and I'll look like a withered…"

Goku laughed nervously. He knew that his wife was insecure about the fact that he was aging much more slowly than she was. He pulled his wife against him, and whispered in her ear. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

That seemed to cheer Chi-Chi up considerably, and she smiled at her husband. Then she turned towards Bardock, and then back to her husband. "Wow. Now I know how you must've felt around my father." She laughed.

Goku just stared at her in confusion. He never had a bad relationship with the Ox-King. In fact, they always got along really well, and one of the Ox-King's favorite hobbies was doting on his grandsons, Gohan and Goten.

While the two talked, Bardock took a moment to look into her mind. Her mind was first and foremost on her family. She was completely devoted to her husband and sons. But he also sensed conflict. Kakarot and his mate disagreed about a lot of things, and it often put friction in their relationship. He could see where young Gohan got his indecisiveness. Kakarot and his mate were more at odds over that boy's future than any other issue in their relationship. Kakarot's mate had pushed him to give up fighting since she was a small boy.

Bardock almost snorted at her foolishness. It was impossible to separate a Saiyan from battle. Battle was in their blood, and evolution had turned them into the perfect Warrior race.

But it would be for the boy to decide his own fate.

Chi-Chi extended her hand. "Hello. I'm Chi-Chi, Goku's mate and wife."

Bardock stared at her extended hand for a moment before he understood, and grasped her hand. Saiyans don't shake hands.

"Well, at least I finally know who to thank for my husband's good looks." Chi-Chi commented. "Goku could be your twin rather than your son. You Saiyans certainly know how to throw your genes together well. Goten looks just like Goku too."

"Father… can you tell me what's going on now?" Goku asked. "You said before that you've been on the run for forty years. From who or what are you running?"

Bardock sighed. "I suppose I can't keep it from you. Once they arrive on Earth, every Saiyan and half-Saiyan will be in danger. When Freeza destroyed Planet Vegeta, there were plenty of Saiyans off-planet. There were only three Saiyans of use to Freeza: Prince Vegeta, General Nappa, and Radditz; so they were allowed to live. But the other Saiyans were a liability. So Freeza formed an elite group whose sole purpose was to hunt down the remaining Saiyans and destroy them. This group was rumored to be lead by Freeza's son, but I've never personally confirmed it."

Goku's jaw dropped. "Freeza had a son?!?"

"I've never been able to confirm it, but I'm pretty sure that it's true." Bardock said. "He doesn't operate like Freeza. Freeza relished in showing off his power. Freeza was a tyrant, but his son is a hunter. He lurks in the shadows, and does not duel, but aims to kill. His favorite way to kill is poison. Normally, by the time you know you've ingested poison, it is too late. But, if he's impatient, he'll blow up the planet his enemy is on."

Chi-Chi glanced at Goku and saw the look on his face. It was a look she had seen many times before. "Oh no!" She began heatedly. "I've seen that look on your face, Son Goku! That's the look you get on your face when you are about to dive head-first into a dangerous battle! I forbid it!"

"But, Chi-Chi, you heard him! If we don't do something, the entire planet is doomed!" Goku began.

"But… Goku…" Chi-Chi began sorrowfully. "I just got you back after losing you for seven years. And this time was pure luck. Do you think there will be another Kai willing to give his life for yours? I just… don't want to lose you again…" Chi-Chi cried as she embraced her husband.

Goku embraced his wife and kissed her. "Cheech, I can't tell you the future, and I doubt even my father can answer that, but I promise I'll try my hardest to come back home to you and our sons."

"Fighting back is the only option we have." Bardock began. "There are more of us now, and he's destroyed whole planets that only have one Saiyan on it. He'll waste no time in destroying this planet with three Saiyans and three half-breeds here. And they will destroy this planet, I believe, because of the humans too."

"Why? What have we done to them?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Because of your half-breed children." Bardock said. "Why do you think there are no Saiyan women left?" This left a tense silence in the room. "Extinction. That was Freeza's goal, and what better way to insure a species goes extinct than to prevent them from breeding? But you humans have proven yourself physically similar enough to us Saiyans for us to successfully breed together. With enough Saiyan males and a diverse enough gene pool, we could save the Saiyan race here on Earth. They will try to stop this at all costs."

"Oh Kami…" Chi-Chi gasped. Goku knew his wife well enough to know what she was thinking. The only time Chi-Chi ever had approved of a fight before was if her sons were in danger. "So you're saying they will come after my babies?"

Bardock nodded. "Yes. To stop them from breeding."

"Chi-Chi, remember that this guy is the son of Freeza. Unless he is a thousand times stronger than Freeza was, I'll be able to handle him no sweat." Goku said.

"I really hope so, Goku." Chi-Chi said. "I really do."

* * *

**LES: There, now you all know who the bad guy is. The fact that Goku is no longer impressed with Freeza's power level is from the Dragon Ball Z special released in Japan last year. If you are unfamiliar with it, go to YouTube and search "Dragon Ball Z Special: Heya Son Goku and his Friends Return." Anyhoo, the villains in that special are said to be as strong as Freeza. Goku and the group send Goten and Trunks to fight since Goku said that the kids would be enough and, looking back, his fight with Freeza wasn't that great. Poor Freeza. Ya just gotta feel sorry for the guy.**


	12. Confessions

**LES: Okay, confession time! I totally still love Disney! And I'm 19 years old!**

**Muse: … O-kay…**

**Chapter XII: Confession**

* * *

Today was, thankfully, a Saturday, and that meant no school. It was good for Videl, because she was planning to visit Gohan. But she hadn't been able to see him since she dropped him off at Capsule Corp. five days previously.

She had been meaning to visit him sooner, but she found it near impossible. Even if she could manage to sneak past their 'house guest' Majin Buu, there was still Bee the dog to deal with. It was like her father and Majin Buu had trained that pup to start barking every time she left the house. Her father would appear so quickly she could have swore he used Instant Transmission if she didn't know any better, and started interrogating her.

But her father was out on some stunt, leaving only Majin Buu and Bee.

As usual, Bee started barking as she headed out the front door, and Buu appeared, eating some ice cream straight out of the carton. "Videl leaving? Where Videl go?" Majin Buu asked.

Videl sighed. "Out. I'm going to visit a sick friend." She didn't quite trust even this 'good' version of Majin Buu yet. The rampages of Majin Buu's evil side were still too fresh on her mind. One could not easily forget being turned into chocolate and eaten.

"Oh. Okay! Videl go. Buu play with Bee!"

"He's your dog." Videl said dryly. One of the strongest in the universe, but talking to Majin Buu was like talking to a two year old… an extremely dim two year old.

"Okay! Bye-bye, Videl! Bee say bye too!" Majin Buu said and Bee the puppy barked happily.

Videl rolled her eyes and left, taking to the air. She couldn't travel as fast as the Z-Warriors, but it was still plenty faster than her old Jet-Copter.

Once in the air, she quickly got her bearings and headed for West City. Thankfully, it wasn't too far away.

* * *

Videl, upon landing, was in awe of the fact that she had been allowed on Capsule Corp. property. As expected, she had been stopped and interrogated by Vegeta upon her arrival.

"You here to see Kakarot's brat?" The Saiyan Prince asked.

"Yes, sir." Videl answered. "Do you know where he is?"

"Of course." Vegeta said. "If that moron had trained you properly, you'd be able to find him yourself. See that big tree over there?" Vegeta pointed. "Kakarot's brat is there."

"He's feeling better?" Videl asked.

"Since this morning. Recent developments sped up his healing progress." Vegeta was referring to Bardock's arrival. Bardock's ship had a standard First Aid kit which was more than enough to handle broken bones. It had tripled Gohan's healing.

"Okay, thanks, Vegeta." Videl said, walking off.

Vegeta smirked to himself. A young human female who would have been worthy of being a Saiyan… she would certainly keep Kakarot's brat on his toes.

The Saiyan Prince nearly laughed out loud with the thought of attending his rival's brat's Bonding Ceremony. The ceremony between Kakarot's brat and that Satan girl was sure to be interesting.

At first, Videl was worried that she'd lose her way in Capsule Corp's vast estate; but thankfully the tree in question was large enough that she did not lose sight of it.

As she approached the tree, she found Gohan in what appeared to be a meditative state. But it wasn't how any human would meditate. If it were her, she'd be at the base of the tree, in the shade, where she could focus on her own breathing. But not Gohan. He was up in the tree, hanging from a large branch by only his tail.

_It can't be easy to meditate like that. All the blood rushing to your head and making you woozy._ Videl thought to herself. _Then again, maybe it doesn't affect him. What do I know about a Saiyan's body? Maybe his heart is stronger and his circulation is better than a full human._

She was reluctant to break his meditation, but really felt the need to talk to him. "Gohan?" She called softly.

Instantly his expression morphed from one of peaceful tranquility to one of shocked pain. His tail lost his grip on the branch and he fell out of the tree. Videl cried out in horror of what she had done, but it was for naught. Gohan's body twisted in the air like a cat, and he landed on his feet.

"Oh my God, Gohan; are you all right?" Videl asked urgently.

Gohan seemed a little stunned, but he was otherwise okay. "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to interrupt someone when they are meditating? If I had interrupted my sensei's meditation when I was a boy, he would have blasted me!" He snapped.

"I'm sorry, Gohan. I just wanted to talk to you. I didn't know coming out of that state would hurt you." Videl said truthfully.

Gohan seemed to calm down now that the sudden shock of his pain had worn off, along with his snappiness. "I'm sorry, Videl. Any Martial Artist should know that training to overcome your weaknesses is the most difficult and painful training you could ever do."

"Is that what you were doing by meditating?" Videl asked.

"Meditation is a great way to deal with pain. If you focus your mind on something besides the pain you are in, it becomes possible to overcome your body's natural reaction to pain. When you called out to me, it broke my concentration, and all the pain came back to me in a rush."

"I'm sorry, Gohan." Videl apologized again. "I didn't mean to. Why are you putting yourself in such pain anyway?"

"That is how Saiyans train." Gohan answered, sitting down on the grass. "Remember how I told you Saiyans gain strength through injury. Pain works the same way with us. You should see my father and Vegeta training. They literally beat each other within an inch of their lives. Saiyans have trained that way since we first developed the ability." Gohan paused. "That is how Saiyans train, and since I am one, I train that way too."

Videl sat down next to him, staring down at her hands. "Gohan, I have a question. Why do you keep calling yourself a Saiyan?"

"Videl, I am a Saiyan."

"No, you are not, Gohan." Videl began. "You are _half_-Saiyan. But you are also half-human. Why does being half-Saiyan define who you are so much?"

"Videl, being a half-breed is hard. You only have to look at my relationship to my parents to know what I go through as a half-breed on a daily basis. My father doesn't understand my intellectual curiosity and my human desire for knowledge. But my mother doesn't understand my strength and Saiyan love for battle. Both my parents can't understand a part of me, so it's much easier to just choose a side. Besides, I'm sure you've noticed it's easier for me to make friends as a Saiyan than a human."

Videl could understand that. He had more friends in the ranks of the Z-Warriors and their families than outside. They understood that he was not fully human and were not put off by his feats of unusual strength. At Orange Star High School, where he tried to make friends as a human, you could count his friends on one hand. Everyone was put off by his intelligence, strangeness, and unusual strength. Plus, being Saiyaman and a freak that could change his hair and eye color in an instant didn't help his odds in the school-wide popularity contest.

"You… you're right, Gohan. I have no idea what you have to go through because of your mixed heritage, having to always hide who you are." Videl said. "But, for what it's worth… I wouldn't change a thing about you."

Videl didn't notice the blush that colored Gohan's cheeks because he quickly got it under control. "You really think so?"

"Definitely. I wouldn't want you to be a full-Saiyan like Vegeta. He's strong, but he not exactly the nicest guy to be around."

"Vegeta does take some getting used to." Gohan admitted.

"And I wouldn't want you to be fully human, because then you would have lacked the strength to do all the amazing things you and your father have done."

"So… are you only interested in my family because of the things we've done?" Gohan asked innocently.

"Well… maybe that's not the only reason." Videl said softly, suddenly feeling rather flirtatious. She immediately mentally punched herself. _No! Videl Satan is _not_ the type of girl who flirts with guys! Even with amazing guys like Gohan._ Videl was secretly relieved to see that Gohan seemed to miss the flirtation in her voice. "Knowing you has opened my eyes to a lot of things. You've answered questions that I've been asking myself my entire life. You've shown me there is a God, and even introduced us. You've shown me that magic and miracles do happen. You are living proof that we are not alone in the universe, that there is more out there in space than hunks of rock, ice, and noble gasses." _You've shown me what love is like._ Videl kept that thought to herself. "You've given my life meaning and depth. Thank you, Gohan."

Gohan scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and blushed. "Gee, Videl, I didn't really _do_ all that much…"

"You let me know you." Videl said. "That is enough."

Gohan stared at Videl for a moment, secretly appreciating the girl who still… not only accepted him, but cherished him, despite the fact that he wasn't fully human. "Hey, Videl… do you wanna…" Gohan paused, and almost lost his nerve when she glanced at him. "Do you wanna… go somewhere… with me?"

_Is he asking me on a date?_ Videl asked herself in shock. If Gohan were fully human, she would have instantly taken his invitation as a request for a date. But he admitted himself that his Saiyan instincts ruled him more than human ones. Maybe that sort of invitation had a different meaning in the Saiyan culture…?

_Well, only one way to find out. Be straight forward._ "Gohan? Are you asking me out on a date?"

_Even if he says no…_Videl thought to herself while Gohan began to sputter and gasp like a fish out of water. _…it was worth asking that question just to see his reaction. He's so cute when he does that!_

The young demi-Saiyan chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck in a way that identified him immediately as a member of the Son family. "Well, yeah. I guess." He said nervously. "I mean… if you want to and you're not too busy…"

Videl began to reply, and then quickly paused, realizing just what was taking place here. Videl Satan, a girl who probably had the least amount of interest in boys and dating out of the entire Orange Star High School student body was actually giving a boy a chance. She had been asked out on dates before, mainly by Sharpener, but she never considered any of those proposals for even a fraction of a second.

_I was just waiting for the right guy._ Videl told herself. _Man, everyone at school's gonna have a heart attack when they find out I went on a date with Son Gohan._

"Okay." She agreed. "I'm actually free right now. My pop is gone for the night."

"Oh, um… sure…" Gohan trailed off, wondering where he should take Videl.

Videl waited patiently while Gohan thought. She knew that a fancy restaurant was out of the question. She knew that the Son family couldn't afford to give Gohan a large allowance. Many people thought that Son Goku was a washed-up prize-fighter dead-beat of a father and husband. But Videl knew the truth. Being the greatest member of the Z-Warriors was a full-time, no salary job. Chi-Chi was a full-time stay-at-home mother. Videl had figured out from some eavesdropping that a majority of their income came from Chi-Chi's father, and a lot of their stuff came from Bulma at large discounts, even free. Their house was one of those things. So she knew that Gohan probably couldn't afford to take her out to eat, but she had faith he'd think of a good and cheap substitute.

After a few moments, he seemed to come to a decision. "Okay, I got it. But I'll have to fly you there."

"Why? I've gotten better at flying." Videl said.

"Because the land of Korin is half-way around the world." Gohan said. "You aren't used to flying distances like that yet."

"Korin?" Videl asked. The land of Korin wasn't much of anything. Just some forests and some Indian tribes. "But what's out…" She paused, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, Kami's Lookout is above the land of Korin, isn't it?"

Gohan nodded. "You probably didn't get a chance to see the true beauty of Kami's place."

"Are we allowed to just go to Kami's Lookout whenever we want?" Videl asked. "It _is_ where a God resides."

Gohan waved off her worries. "Don't worry. Dende and I were friends long before he became a God."

"Wait a second… 'Became a God'? He's a God, isn't he? How could you have known him before he was a God? Aren't Gods immortal?"

Gohan shook his head. "No race in the known universe is immortal. Even the Gods. Shenron can make a person immortal, and I know one person who had it done. Garlic Jr. was an evil alien who became immortal with the power of the Dragon Balls. But, if you'd talk to him now, he'd probably tell you wishing for immortality was the worst mistake of his life."

"Why? What happened to him?"

"We inflicted a punishment on him much worse than death." Gohan said. "Now he's forever locked in a different dimension of nothing and darkness called the Dead Zone. He's been locked away for about ten years now… I'll bet he wished he was dead." Gohan paused. "Gods aren't immortal. In fact, we've both lived through two Guardians, the one before Dende became Guardian seven years ago. Come on, let's go."

Gohan hesitated for a moment before he picked the young woman up bridal style. They both blushed before Videl wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck, grinning up at him. Gohan blushed a bit more before taking to the air and heading towards the land of Korin at speeds that caused Videl to press her face against his chest.

* * *

When they were almost there, it suddenly became night.

"Gohan, what…?"

"We're on the opposite said of the Earth." Gohan said. "It's morning in West City, but night has just fallen here."

"Oh yeah. Now I remember." Videl said.

"Don't worry. I promise you'll be back before night in West City. You won't even have time to feel jet lag." Gohan said reassuringly.

Videl nodded. "Okay."

A few minute later, they arrived on Kami's Lookout. As Gohan suspected, Dende was standing on the edge, gazing down at the Earth.

"Hello, there, Dende." Gohan called out as he landed and set down Videl.

"Oh, hello, Gohan. You're feeling better?" Dende asked.

"Much better. Saiyan medicine is really advanced." Gohan said. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Dende nodded in agreement. "I never knew nights could be this beautiful until I came to Earth."

"Uh…" Videl began, confused.

"Oh, Videl, right?" Dende asked, and the young woman nodded. "Nice to meet you again."

"You never saw a night before you came to Earth?" Videl blurted out in shock.

"Planet Namek is a strange place compared to Earth." Gohan said in Dende's place. "The planet is mostly water and almost no plant life besides grass. The sky is green. Namek also orbits three suns, so there is always at least one in the sky. Planet Namek has no night."

"Oh wow." Videl couldn't imagine living on a planet where there was no night.

"Hey, Dende, you mind if we hang out here for a while?" Gohan asked.

"Sure, but Mr. Popo will want to know why." Dende said.

Gohan's gaze shifted. "This is sort of… like a date."

"A date?" Dende was confused for a moment. After all, his native race was an all-male race that reproduced asexually, so the word didn't register right away. "Oh! You mean like a human courtship ritual?" Dende grinned evilly. "Should I tell your mother?"

"Oh God, no! Anything but that!" Gohan said desperately.

"Oh, come on, Gohan!" Dende laughed, playfully slapping his shoulder. "I wouldn't feed you to the sharks like that. You're my friend."

"Don't _do_ that, Dende!" Gohan said. "You almost gave me a heart attack! I'll tell my mother about this… later."

"I'd help you, but you know even a God can't stand against a woman obsessed with grandchildren." Dende said.

Gohan laughed knowingly. "Thanks, Dende. I'll keep that in mind. We'll be fine."

"Okay, 'Han." Dende said. "Enjoy yourself." He headed back into the building at the other end of the large platform.

Videl faced Gohan. "Okay, now what, 'Han?" She asked playfully.

"Look up." Gohan said.

Videl did just that and gasped out loud. She had never seen so many stars in her life. The whole of the heavens was like a sea of stars. "It's… beautiful." Videl gasped.

"It is." Gohan agreed. "The only way you could get a better view of the stars is going out in space. There is not as much atmosphere and light to drown out the stars." Gohan sat down. "Come on, and I'll show you things about the stars that no human could tell you."

Videl sat down. "I guess being a half-alien means you'd know a lot about outer space."

"I've even been there." Gohan said.

"Where was the Saiyan planet before it got destroyed?" Videl asked.

Gohan glanced around and then pointed. "Do you see that star there? It's glowing red?"

"Yes."

"That was the sun of Planet Vegeta." Gohan said. "The one place in the universe I'd like to go, but will never be able to thanks to that lizard, Freeza." Gohan shrugged. "Oh well. It's probably for the best. According to Vegeta, a half-breed like me would probably be looked down upon and shunned on Planet Vegeta."

Videl sat down and Gohan joined her. Videl wrapped her arm around his waist. "It doesn't matter how those Saiyans would have treated you if they were alive. I accept you, Gohan."

Gohan stared at her in shock as he felt her arm around him. But at her words, he smiled.

* * *

An hour later found the two teens laying side-by-side. Gohan was talking, but Videl wasn't really listening anymore.

Instead, she was concentrating on the most heavenly scent that had invaded her nose and dominated her senses.

_What is that smell?_ Videl wondered. She couldn't even describe it. She had never smelled anything like it before. _Well, I am in the Realm of the Gods. Maybe they're cooking up some Ambrosia over there._ She turned to face Gohan to ask if he could smell it too, and paused. The smell got stronger. _It can't be… Gohan?_

She shifted closer to the young man, pretending that she was cold when, in actuality, Gohan's aura was more than enough to keep her warm.

_Yep. The smell definitely got stronger._ Videl thought. _Oh God, how could any mortal being smell this good?_

The young woman had no idea that what she smelled so strongly was Saiyan pheromones. Male Saiyans always gave off trace amounts once they Came of Age, but spiked when they got close to their mate, just like Gohan was now.

Videl was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming urge to lick Gohan's skin to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.

Gohan glanced at Videl since it had been some time since she last responded to his words. He was completely shocked by the look in her eyes… lust. It was the same look his mother gave his father and Bulma gave Vegeta. He quickly sniffed the air and realized that it was thick with his own pheromones.

_Oh crap!_ "Videl, I…" Gohan began, but then he paused. Videl had gotten much closer to him without his noticing. They were now nose-to-nose. His voice had gotten caught in his throat.

"Gohan…" Videl began her voice much softer than normal. "Why do you smell so good?"

"Well, I… um…" Gohan began, but Videl cut off the rest of his stuttering with a kiss.

Gohan's mind quickly flashed back to when they almost kissed in the wilds of Mt. Paoz. But this time was real… very real!

His brain finally seemed to unfreeze and be began to kiss her back, his hand finding its way to the back of her head.

He couldn't believe that he was here, under the stars of Kami's Lookout, locked in their first kiss.

The thought struck him as funny, remembering the ancient myths of the punishment dealt on mortals for doing such things on Holy Ground. The legend of Medusa came to mind. Medusa had made love with the Ocean God Poseidon in Athena's temple. And, as punishment, Athena transformed Medusa into a snake-haired Gorgon that could turn a person into stone with just a glance.

He was feeling just a little giddy from the kiss, so he began to chuckle against her mouth.

Videl pulled away slightly. "Gohan? What's so funny?"

"We're gonna bring Dende's wrath down on us." Gohan said. "The Gods have never been forgiving of those who partake in pleasures of the flesh on Holy Ground."

Videl smirked. "Stop thinking so much, Gohan." She maneuvered her body until she was lying on top of the young man, and kissed him again.

This time, she got a little bolder by pressing her tongue against his lips. Gohan gave a jolt of surprise, but then quickly realized what she wanted. He opened his own mouth and allowed his tongue to meet hers in a playful dance.

Gohan was in shock of the feelings going through his veins. She didn't possess as strong pheromones as he did, but she captivated his human side completely. But the strange thing was his Saiyan side didn't have anything to contribute. It was strange, because his Saiyan side was much more passionate than his human side. It was like the Saiyan in him was saying 'No, not tonight.'

But he decided not to dwell on it. He didn't mind his body saying no, though it did confuse him. _Videl probably wouldn't be ready for such a step anyway._

His musings trailed off when he felt Videl's lower body begin to grind against his, trying to sexually stimulate him.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. His Saiyan side had been tolerate of a little fun, but Gohan's Saiyan instincts had to put a stop to it _now_!

Gohan quickly broke the kiss and lowered Videl off his body so that she lay next to him instead of on top of him.

Videl, who was more than a little angry at Gohan's actions, could barely contain the annoyance in her voice. "What is it, Gohan?!?"

"I don't know. Something's wrong." Gohan said, utterly confused. The last full moon had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was ready to take a mate, and he had only dreamed that it would be Videl. Saiyan emotions developed quickly and surely, and Gohan knew that he was in love with her…

That thought stopped Gohan's mind in its tracks. _I love her? When did this happen?_ But, upon rolling the words around in his mind, he knew that it was true. He loved her! It was like his subconscious mind had known it all along, and was just waiting for the rest of him to catch up.

His mind reeled for a split second, and then he accepted it.

Videl sighed loudly. "Gohan, I thought you knew me better than this. I wouldn't do things like this with a boy unless I really meant it. I love you, Son Gohan."

Gohan's brain shut down again. _Did she just say… she loves me?_ In light of his own mental realization, her confession carried significant meaning. He snapped back to reality when he realized that she was staring at him, waiting for a reply.

He pulled her into his arms and embraced her. "Videl… I love you too. And it's not that I don't want to… do this with you. Something in my Saiyan instincts was telling me to stop, that this is not the time."

Videl seemed to understand… or at least as much as Gohan understood. "What are we doing wrong?"

"I don't know." Gohan confessed. "I mean… Vegeta explained some things to me, but maybe he left something out… a phrase or ritual, maybe."

"What is a Saiyan wedding like?" Videl asked.

"I don't think Saiyans have a formal wedding ceremony. Vegeta made it sound like once we agreed to be mates and had sex; we'd be mated forever by Saiyan standards." Gohan said.

"Well, I'd say that Vegeta has a lot of explaining to do." Videl said.

Gohan nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We could either go beat an answer out of Vegeta now. Or we could stay here and mess around some more."

Videl wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck. "Just a little longer."

Gohan smirked and kissed her.

* * *

**LES: At the request of my readers, the whole Saiyan-marks-him-mate-with-a-bite thing is overly cliché, so it is permanently removed from the story. Love bites are still in, but no marking. Instead, I am going for the textbook meaning of 'Bonding' in terms of a relationship. The Bonding stage is a public event where a couple expresses their love for each other, like a wedding. So, obviously, sex wouldn't fit the bill. So, I have come up with what I hope is a believable Saiyan wedding ceremony. It is supported by known facts about Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship, so in my universe, Goku and Chi-Chi had a Saiyan marriage before they had a human marriage. The details will be revealed next chapter.**


	13. Getting Things Straight

**Chapter XIII: Getting Things Straight**

Just before morning in the land of Korin, Gohan and Videl left for West City so they would arrive before nightfall.

They both felt as light as air with the weight of their confessions off their shoulders. For the first time since they've known each other, they were direct with their feelings and didn't treat them in a round-about way. In fact, for most of the trip back to West City, Videl nibbled on Gohan's neck in a most distracting fashion. Several times he nearly lost control of his Ki and dropped them both.

They managed to get back to Capsule Corp. with only one or two lapses in concentration and scary lurches.

Gohan landed and quickly set Videl down. "Videl, not that I don't enjoy you doing that, but could you not do that while I fly? It's very distracting." Gohan confessed.

Videl laughed. "Sorry, Gohan. I just couldn't help myself." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him again.

Gohan was just beginning to return her kiss with a passion when a voice called out and interrupted them. They pulled apart instantly.

"Well, if it isn't Kakarot's brat." Of course it was Vegeta. The guy guarded Capsule Corp. better than a guard dog.

"Hey, Veggie. I gotta bone to pick with you." Gohan began, walking up to him.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Choose your next words wisely, Runt." The statement was kind of ironic considering Gohan was a full head taller than Vegeta.

"You left something out when we talked about…" Gohan suddenly lost his bravado. "… you know, a couple days ago…"

"You mean when we talked about Saiyan mating?" Vegeta clarified. "No, I think I covered everything."

"Yeah right!" Gohan said. "Videl and I went to Kami's Lookout and things got… heated. But my Saiyan side didn't let me follow-through. Is there some sort of ritual that we need to complete?"

Vegeta sighed. "Are you two completely sure that you wanna be mates? This isn't some whim of horny teenagers?"

"I thought you said Saiyans…" Gohan began.

"Yes, Saiyans do only mate for life. But you are not a full Saiyan. You are half-human, boy, and human hearts are fickle. If you complete the full Saiyan bonding ritual, there will be no turning back, no matter how fickle your heart is."

Gohan and Videl glanced at each other. Their love hadn't began with their mutual confession, but began almost as soon as they had met, weeks before Majin Buu. "We are sure." Gohan and Videl answered at the same time.

"Why didn't you tell me about this full Saiyan bonding ritual before?" Gohan asked.

"Because there is a fine line between Saiyan tradition and instinct. It is so fine, even Saiyans have trouble recognizing the difference. The Bonding ceremony struck me as a tradition. But I suppose it really is instinct since you seem incapable of bypassing it."

"Okay. So what is this Bonding Ceremony, and how do you complete it?" Gohan asked.

"It's simple. Much more simple than a human wedding ceremony." Vegeta said. "The female typically starts it by stating her intentions to her potential mate. Then they must have witnesses. Typically it is their families, but I suppose any witnesses would do. Then the potential mates must engage in combat."

"Combat? Why?" Videl asked.

"The female must prove to the male that she is capable of defending their off-spring from harm, since the male will often be away at war." Vegeta said.

"But I'm human!" Videl said. "How could I possibly win against Gohan?"

"You wouldn't." Vegeta said simply. "But it doesn't matter. Winning or losing makes no difference. The female just needs to impress the male with her battle skills to finalize the Bond. If the female fails to impress the male, their growing bond is dissolved, leaving both free to find a more suitable mate. The witnesses are there to judge the authenticity of the spar."

"Did my parents…?" Gohan began.

"Kakarot is a Saiyan." Vegeta said. "If your experience proves true and the Bonding is instinct, than he did it too."

"Gohan, haven't you seen the tapes of the Tenkaichi Budokai that you father won?" Videl asked. "Your parents fought together. There were plenty of witnesses, your mother attacked first, and she kept your father on his toes for a while. He won, but proposed to her right after words. That's the Bonding ceremony, right?"

Vegeta nodded. "It sounds accurate enough. Kakarot probably had no trouble marrying his harpy in a human ceremony since, to him, they were all ready mates."

"They were all ready mates? But I don't think my mother would have let my father do something like _that_ before they were married." Gohan began.

Vegeta snorted. "Sex has nothing to do with the ceremony, just like sex has nothing to do with the human wedding ceremony. Sex strengthens and maintains the bond between the two mates, but it does not create it." Then Vegeta grinned. "I can't wait to see how the oaf reacts!"

"Oaf?" Videl asked.

"Your father. You'll have to confess to him about being in love with a half-alien boy a million times stronger than him."

"My father is _not_ an oaf!" Videl yelled.

"Once you are familiar with the ranks of the Z-Warriors, you'll see how foolish your sire really is."

Videl looked ready to kill the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta never minced words, so he was used to offending people and their respective death-glares, so he didn't even react to her death-glare. But their exchange brought Gohan to a painful realization.

He couldn't continue to hide things from Videl if they were mates. Before they preformed the Bonding Ceremony, Gohan would have to come clean to her about the Cell Games.

Vegeta noticed the look on Gohan's face and realized what was going through his mind. Vegeta had gotten pretty good at reading Gohan during the seven years of Goku's death when Vegeta was the only person able to give the demi-Saiyan 'Saiyanly' advice. "You should be proud of your accomplishments, Halfling. Few Saiyans could have resisting a foe of that magnitude." Vegeta said seriously. "You are a fine addition to the Saiyan race, and your future mate will be just as proud of you as your moron father and I am."

The complement really meant something coming from Vegeta, who usually had nothing good to say about half-breeds unless that half-breed happened to be his son. It showed Gohan that Vegeta really did care for him, even though he pretended not to most of the time.

"Well, I guess we should go tell our parents." Gohan said. "Should we go separately or together?"

"I guess it doesn't matter with your parents, but you need to come with me to meet my dad."

"Sure." Gohan said. "We haven't been properly introduced, haven't we? It would look bad on me if I mated you without even being introduced to your father."

"That's not the only reason. Our courtship will be one full of fighting. We are gonna have to fight to become mates, and you'll have to fight my father for my hand." Videl said. "He's got some stupid rule that any boy I date has to first beat him in a spar."

Videl looked worried for him, but Gohan was relishing in the chance to fight Mr. Satan. The man had really annoyed him at the Cell Games, and he wanted the chance to knock his ego down a few levels. Even worse than stealing his credit for defeating Cell was the insults against everything the Z-Warriors did, their sacrifices, and everything they stood for. The Z-Warriors had all trained all their lives to defend Earth from evil, and Mr. Satan belittled a lifetime worth of training with a single sentence: 'It's all a trick.' Goku's sacrifice became meaningless. What did Mr. Satan care that someone's husband and father had died? What did he care that Goten grew up most of his life without knowing his own father? What did he care that Gohan had been forced to answer that heart-rending question from his kid brother: 'Gohan, why don't I have a daddy?'

Gohan suddenly realized what he was thinking. He really didn't like Mr. Satan. He still carried a lot of baggage from the Cell Games regarding Mr. Satan. _All of this will have to be resolved before I mate Videl._ Gohan realized. _I can't become her mate while I have this many unresolved issues with the Cell Games and her father._

It was only then that Gohan realized that Videl was talking. "…I know you're really strong, Gohan, but I don't want to see you get hurt."

Gohan stared at her. _Despite all I've shown her, she still believes her father is the stronger of us? Well… I suppose that is my fault. She won't know until I tell her the truth about the Cell Games._ "I'll be fine, Videl. Don't worry. I'm half-Saiyan, remember? My heritage gives me an advantage in battle no human can match." _Besides, I could fight Mr. Satan with a fraction of my full power and still utterly defeat him._

_On the other hand, if I kick the crap out of Videl's father, it wouldn't exactly make her eager to be my mate._ Gohan thought, and then came to a decision. _All right, I'll fight him with one percent of my power. That'll be close enough to be fair, right? No flying or Ki blasts wither. He'll just call me a trickster and forbid me from seeing Videl. For once, it might be satisfying to fight like a human._

"Videl, I'm not afraid of fighting your father. I've had my share of great opponents too, you know." Gohan said, smiling.

Videl sighed. "Okay, Gohan. I trust that you know what you're getting into."

Gohan nodded. _I know, more than you do._ "Now I've got my own question: are you brave enough to withstand my mother's 'grandchildren' tirade?"

The color drained from Videl's face. She had all ready endured the mini version of Chi-Chi's grandchildren rant, and that was when Gohan and Videl's relationship was still in her head. She would be unstoppable once she found out Gohan and Videl was a reality. Chi-Chi had all ready told her how many grandchildren she expected (half-a-dozen, at least!?!), that their first _had_ to be a girl so that Chi-Chi would have a little girl to spoil for a change, since she only had her two sons (and tips on how to _make_ a girl), and a mile-long list of baby names (_not_ an exaggeration. It really was a mile long! Videl measured it with the help of her servants).

"I… don't think I'm brave enough for that." Videl said sheepishly.

Gohan couldn't blame her. He barely had the courage necessary to face his mother with news like this. But he was going to do it anyway, because Chi-Chi was his mother. She may be overbearing, but he still loved her, and she deserved to know from her son.

"Okay, I'll tell my family tonight. You said your father is away earlier? When does he get back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." Videl said.

"Okay, then I'll stop by your place tomorrow, and tell your father. Don't worry; I'll be ready for a fight."

"Okay, Gohan. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. And good luck with your mother." She leaned into Gohan and kissed him again, a gesture he returned gladly.

When Gohan pulled away, he laughed. "I'll need it." And he flew away, while Videl flew in the opposite direction towards Satan City.

Gohan was completely elated and he did a couple loop-the-loops to let out his feeling. His life always seemed to be one big cosmic joke dedicated to Murphy's Law. Everything seemed to go wrong, either comically or tragically. But, for once, something in his life had gone right.

When he first began to develop feeling for Videl, he never imagined that she would return them. It seemed a long shot, and too good for the cursed life of Son Gohan.

But this was a reality, Gohan was sure of it. Even his wildest dreams didn't dare believe that Videl might love him in return.

After several minutes of giddy elation, Gohan's heart sunk, remembering the unpleasant duty that awaited him. Telling his family.

He wasn't really worried about his father and Goten's reactions. At the most, his father would pile on the suggestive comments, and Goten would tease him about 'kissy-kissy' games. It was his mother that he was worried about.

He was sure to endure an unstoppable tirade of a Grandchildren rant.

Gohan sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He would do anything for Videl, and now was the time to prove it.

* * *

Gohan arrived home just before nightfall, a little later than usual. As he expected, his mother was waiting for him.

"Gohan, do you have any idea what time it is?!?" Chi-Chi demanded. "Where have you been all day? Bulma called saying you left Capsule Corp. this morning."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Gohan apologized. "Videl showed up at Capsule Corp. this morning and I spent the day with her."

Chi-Chi immediately softened. "Oh. Well, I suppose I'll have to forgive you this once. Should I be expecting any Grandchildren in the near future?"

Gohan didn't respond, which made Chi-Chi curious. Previously, Gohan had responded to such statements with a loud, incredulous 'Mom!' Chi-Chi's mommy senses were tingling. Something was defiantly afoot. And she had a hunch it had something to do with Videl.

"Gohan…?"

"Where's Dad?" Gohan interrupted Chi-Chi's question.

"Goku?" Chi-Chi questioned. "He's getting Goten washed up for dinner. You know what a chore that is."

Gohan nodded. Before Goku came back to life, Gohan was the one with that chore. And he knew from personal experience that the washer often got wetter than Goten.

"If it's all right, I'd rather wait for Dad before I tell my news." Gohan said.

Chi-Chi gave him a look and then finally relented. "Okay. Your father should be nearly done, and then you can tell us what you are hiding. You know the suspense isn't good on my heart."

"Don't worry, Mom, it's good news." Gohan said.

"What's good news?" Both looked around and saw Goku walk in with Goten on his shoulders. As expected, he was soaked from head to toe, and trying to dry his spiky hair off with a towel.

"Ah, Goku, dear. Just in time." Chi-Chi said. "Gohan has some news that he wants to share with us."

"Oh really?" Goku said. "Well, what's the good news, son?"

"Well… um… I went out with Videl today, and we talked a lot. We decided not to frustrate the desire in our hearts." Gohan could tell Chi-Chi was holding her breath. "We've decided to become mates."

Goku began to speak, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by a scream from Chi-Chi, which forced him to cover his ears instead.

"Oh, Gohan, I'm _so_ proud of you!" Chi-Chi squealed while she embraced her son. "I just knew you'd grow up, meet a nice girl, get married, and give me all the beautiful grandchildren I've ever dreamed of!"

"Does that mean Videl's gonna be my big sister?" Goten asked from Goku's shoulders.

Goku had his fingers in his ears, trying to get rid of the ringing that followed Chi-Chi's squeal. "Yeah, it does. I'm really proud of you, Gohan. Videl's a nice girl."

"So, when can I expect those grandchildren, Gohan? Oh, silly me! If you only did _that_ today, then it will be another nine months at least! Oh, dear, then we'd better start planning the wedding right away! Hang on, I'll call Bulma…"

"Hang on, Mom!" Gohan interrupted. "No, we haven't done _that_ yet!"

"Oh. Okay, then." Chi-Chi looked slightly disappointed. "Then a wedding ceremony can wait a little. Were you and Videl thinking of a day?"

"Mom, a human wedding ceremony can wait until after we graduate. Public schools don't take kindly to students getting married." Gohan said. "But we can do a Saiyan bonding ceremony right away."

"Bonding ceremony? I've never heard of a Saiyan bonding ceremony…" She glanced at her husband.

"Uh… when we fought together at the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai… that was our Bonding Ceremony." Goku said. "Saiyans bond through combat."

"Yeah, that's basically what Vegeta told me. Videl has to impress me in combat. Then we'll be mates." Gohan said. "Videl and I are gonna 'talk' to Mr. Satan tomorrow. Then we could probably have the Bonding before the week is out."

"That sounds like a plan." Chi-Chi said, smiling. "Just remember, Gohan, I won't wait for grandchildren forever." She winked at her eldest son.

"Mom!" Gohan replied incredulously.


End file.
